New Students, New Tools, New Possibilities: Creating digital

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New students, new tools, new possibilities
Creating digital learning environments
Published by Technology & Learning, NewBay Media
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Inside Front Cover–blank
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Today’s digital generation has
access to music, video, images,
information, and other people
on demand.
They create MySpace personas, YouTube videoclips,
personal blogs, and podcasts.
They communicate with cell phones and Instant
Messaging. They hang out online – often on
social networking Websites. It is no wonder that
this generation expects personalization from
education too.
Who are these students and why are they different?
Some say that this is the first time (with rock and roll a
distant second) that a generation is so different from
its parents. Generation Next, as they are sometimes
called, grew up using devices that adults often
struggle to understand and use.
The Pew Research Center released “A Portrait of
Generation Next.” In it, they conclude, “A new
generation has come of age, shaped by an
unprecedented revolution in technology and dramatic
events both at home and abroad. They are more
comfortable with globalization and new ways of
doing work. They are the most likely of any age group
to say that automation, the outsourcing of jobs, and
the growing number of immigrants have helped and
not hurt American workers. Asked about the life goals
of those in their age group, most Gen Nexters say
their generation's top goals are ‘fortune and fame.’”
In their report “Teens and Technology: Youth are
Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile
Nation,” Pew researchers state, “The number of
teenagers using the Internet has grown 24% in the
past four years and 87% of those between the ages
of 12 and 17 are online, and more than half (55%)
of all online American youths ages 12-17 use online
social networking.” See more data in the sidebar
“Close to nine in ten teens are Internet users.” on the
following page. However, keep in mind that there is
still a digital divide, and a large group of students do
not have Internet access.
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Close to nine in ten teens are Internet users
The vast majority of teens in the United States, 87% of those aged 12 to 17, now use the Internet. That
amounts to about 21 million youth who use the Internet, up from roughly 17 million when we surveyed
this age cohort in late 2000. Not only has the wired share of the teenage population grown, but teens’
use of the Internet has intensified. Teenagers now use the Internet more often and in a greater variety of
ways than they did in 2000. There are now approximately 11 million teens who go online daily,
compared to about 7 million in 2000.
• 87% of U.S. teens aged 12-17 use the Internet, up from 73% in 2000. By contrast,
• 66% of adults use the Internet, up from 56% in 2000.
• 51% of teenage Internet users say they go online on a daily basis, up from 42% in 2000.
At the same time, the scope of teens’ online lives has also broadened. One out of every two teens who
use the Internet lives in a home with a broadband connection. Wired teens are more frequent users of
instant messaging. And they are now more likely to play games online, make purchases, get news, and
seek health information.
• 81% of teen Internet users play games online. That represents about 17 million people and
signifies growth of 52% in the number of online gamers since 2000.
• 76% get news online. That represents about 16 million people and signifies growth of 38% in the
number of teens getting news online since 2000.
• 43% have made purchases online. That represents about 9 million people and signifies growth of
71% in teen online shoppers since 2000.
• 31% use the Internet to get health information. That represents about 6 million people and signifies
growth of 47% in the number of teens using the Internet this way since 2000.
From Teens and Technology: Youth are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation
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The world comes to today’s
students online. And the world is
very different from the one most
of us grew up in.
Technology has made all the difference and the results
are dramatic. New York Times writer Thomas
Friedman says, “The World is Flat.”
He says that the convergence of a digital world with
rapidly shifting global economic power has
transformed what we need from our schools. It’s not a
matter of more education, certainly not more of the
same, but of providing different education, using
strategies and tools that address new realities.
Friedman believes that schools must be able to
horizontalize: “Move from ‘command and control’ to
‘connect and collaborate.’” Students will need to be:
• Collaborators
• Leveragers
• Synthesizers
• Explainers
• Eco-friendly
The report challenges schools and policymakers to
expand their focus beyond students having basic
competency of core subjects to their understanding the
content at much higher levels. It proposes that students
need to know how to think critically, apply knowledge
to new situations, analyze information, comprehend
new ideas, communicate, collaborate, solve problems,
and make decisions. It stresses the need to incorporate
information and communication technologies into
education from the elementary grades up and use
experiences that are relevant to students' lives,
connected with the world beyond the classroom, and
based on authentic projects. The report recommends
moving beyond standardized testing as the sole
measure of student learning; balancing traditional tests
with classroom assessments to measure the full range
of students' skills; and using technology-based
assessments to deliver immediate feedback.
Such change is exciting… and challenging… and
sometimes threatening.
• Personalizers
He says that schools should teach greater
collaboration and synthesizing skills, create a
community of learning, cultivate the entrepreneurial
spirit, and help everyone learn how to learn.
A coalition of business leaders agree that technologyempowered learning is a requirement for any
education institution to be an effective school. Learning
for the 21st Century, a report from the Partnership for
21st Century Skills, explains how schools can best
prepare students to succeed; it focuses on the key
elements of 21st Century learning that rely on
technology as tools.
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Some big shifts are changing the way people and
organizations work.
Managing change and addressing the new challenges
means looking across organizations—from people to
processes to technology—and focusing on the needs
of those involved.
Three major global shifts:
1) The world is flat: It’s becoming a horizontal,
heterogeneous, networked world.
The needs
What’s driving change?
2) Work is no longer what it was for previous
generations who stayed in the same kind of job for
the same company for their entire working lives.
3) Required skills include critical thinking and
reasoning skills as well as the three r’s.
Three major technology shifts:
1) Processes and all content are being transformed
from physical and static to digital, mobile, and
virtual.
Students want their learning
to be personalized.
Technology has to be
wireless so it travels with
them and provides what
they want when they want
it. What they want is
engaging: music, videos,
social networking, and
collaboration, not to
mention “cool” hardware.
2) There is new demand for simplicity, manageability,
and adaptability in technology.
3) Systems, applications, divisions, and supply chains
that were previously vertical and disconnected have
to connect and interoperate horizontally in order to
optimize resources and unlock new value.
Three major human shifts:
1) Young people are ahead of adults (teachers and
parents) in technology use.
2) Administrators must harness technology to manage
schools, both for administrative and learning
systems.
3) Adapting and transforming systems is expensive,
difficult, and necessary for everyone.
Rethinking the organization
Organizations (yes, that means schools too) have to
re-think what an organization is—top to bottom.
• Organizations and technologies are no longer about
vertical chains of command and stand-alone islands
of automation.
• Organizations are becoming horizontal collections
of processes, supported by applications and
technology.
• Organizations have to manage their organizations
horizontally in order to leverage capabilities.
• Horizontal thinking helps break down the barriers
between vertical organizations and vertical
operations.
• Eventually, everything becomes connected to
everything else.
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Every system has stakeholders, people who have a
legitimate interest or “stake” in what happens and a
belief they should be part of the decision-making
process, at the very least, consulted in important
issues. In a school district, the stakeholders are
students, teachers, parents and the community, and
district administrators. Interests sometimes coincide.
The needs of each group have to be addressed,
members of each group have to be consulted, and
everyone has to be respected. While others exist, the
most important examples are:
• Students want their learning to be personalized.
Technology has to be wireless so it travels with them
and provides what they want when they want it.
What they want is engaging: music, videos, social
networking, and collaboration, not to mention
“cool” hardware.
• Teachers want students to spend more time on
learning, increase their test scores, and be prepared
for the future, and they want to make their own lives
and administrative tasks easier and more efficient.
• Parents and communities want to know that students
are safe and secure (in school buildings and online),
know where they are, and find out how well they’re
doing from teachers who are willing to
communicate.
• School district administrators want to transform the
learning experience, increase scores, streamline
operations, manage data wisely, comply with
mandates and regulations, and manage costs. They
also need to be nimble in addressing the needs of
the other stakeholders.
Learning
At the heart of educators’ work is instilling a love of
learning in students. Those who enjoy learning and
who know how to keep learning will be prepared for
a future in which nothing is certain and the norm is
change.
The pursuit of knowledge has never been as exciting
as it is today. Computers, the Internet, accessibility to
hundreds of thousands of databases all over the
world, and the ability to learn in a mobile environment
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allow us all to participate in a new paradigm of
technology-enabled education.
New technologies enhance our ability to create new
ideas, make discoveries, prove our theories, test our
knowledge, and realize our dreams like never before.
School districts will need intelligent, connected,
devices and environments and adaptive, pervasive
IT infrastructures.
• Email, instant messaging, and electronic discussions
• Personal calendars and group scheduling
Integrated collaborative solutions provide schools with
management systems for learning and communication
among teachers, parents, and the community.
Teachers can:
• Collaborate with students, other teachers,
and parents
With them, schools can:
• Share knowledge and resources
• Offer a choice of learning styles and formats
• Use e-learning tools and monitor results
• Support lifelong learning
• Customize curriculum and create project-based
lessons that address multiple learning styles
• Enable mobility for more flexible learning
• Empower collaboration for research and sharing of
best practices
Students can:
• Build for ongoing change
• Collaborate with other students and teachers
• Support digital content and services
• Get homework assignments and even take tests
when they’re out sick or use the Internet to research,
study, and explore, after school and on weekends
• Store, access, and manipulate student data for
decision making
Solutions
Today’s district is wired and seeks to use technology
effectively. Networked classrooms and communities
provide schools with:
• Secure wireless access from a variety of desktop
and handheld devices
• Rich digital media solutions
• Secure, scalable, easy-to-use collaboration with
powerful communications and information sharing
Parents can:
• Monitor homework assignments and attendance
• Track student progress
• Communicate with teachers and administrators
Administrators can:
• Manage data to determine student needs and
streamline operations
• Address the changing needs of students, teachers,
and parents
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“We offer a dedicated
education team, a corporate
focus on addressing the needs
of our education customers, a
desire to become districts’
committed partner with a
comprehensive product portfolio
for education and the partners
and solutions that will help them
make the most of technology.”
Joel Coombs
HP’s Director of Education
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In the following chapters, we will take a look at each
of these groups and what they need and demand.
And we’ll see how school districts can create digital
learning environments that prepare students for the
21st Century.
We will also see that one company stands out as
committed to education and to the vision of a future
where every child is learning to his or her potential.
HP is committed to education as a trusted technology
partner with reliable products.
Committed: HP is committed to the education market
and is dedicated to providing exceptional care and
focus to customer needs. Our dedicated education
team understands customer needs and can offer
personalized technology and solutions to answer
those needs.
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Trusted: You can trust HP to provide customers with
low-cost, easy-to-use, on-time solutions that provide
educators the tools they need to be successful in
integrating technology in the classroom.
Reliable: HP’s heritage is built on quality and
reliability. HP is committed to providing high-quality
products and services throughout the life of an
educational technology program. HP provides total
care to customers, proactively offering a portfolio of
services and support that help keep the classroom up
and running.
As Joel Coombs, Director of Education at HP says,
“We offer a dedicated education team, a corporate
focus on addressing the needs of our education
customers, a desire to become districts’ committed
partner with a comprehensive product portfolio for
education, and the partners and solutions that will
help them make the most of technology.”
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Chapter 2: Students
Because living and working are so different now from
even a decade or two ago and will continue to
change, today’s students need new thinking, technical,
and communication skills to survive and thrive in the
future. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has
developed a framework for discussing what education
has to do to prepare students. Their elements of 21st
Century learning include emphasizing core subjects
and learning skills, using 21st Century tools, teaching
and learning new content in a new context, and trying
new 21st Century assessments.
Education in the future should combine practical,
intellectual, and social skills as never before. What
does this mean for day-to-day teaching and learning?
While students have to demonstrate proficiency in
standards-based skills, they also need to show higher
order thinking and interpersonal skills. What do they
need to be prepared?
Student needs
• Personalized learning environments
• New tools, including individual notebook or Tablet
PCs, wireless connectivity, printing needs, and
accessories like laptop bags, USB key drives, etc.
• Learning spaces that encourage collaboration
• Project-based learning that addresses state
learning standards
• Formative assessment using laptops to get
immediate feedback
• Differentiated instruction—adjust learning activities
to address varied learning styles and to maximize
each student’s learning experience
Personalized learning
Young people today expect customization and there
is no better way to provide it than with technology.
Whether it’s their computers’ desktop wallpaper or
their MySpace profiles, today’s young people
change the environment to accommodate their
needs. When their needs change, it’s easy to
change the environment too—especially when that
is a digital environment.
Schools are traditionally less nimble than we would
like, but today, technology offers some wonderful tools
and methods to address the needs of learners and
personalize their learning experience.
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A recent report “Networked for Learning: Enabling
21st Century Student Success” explains:
The ability to personalize and customize the education
process, while at the same time participate in a
collaborative community of students and educators, is
a critical and necessary shift in teaching and learning
in the 21st Century. Networked education enables this
environment because it is not simply about
“integrating” technology into classrooms. It goes
beyond bandwidth, addressing fundamental issues
such as equitable access and closing the achievement
gap. Networked education levels every playing field.
Every school in every district can share the same tools
and resources, regardless of a school’s size or
geographic location. Every student can access
advanced courses, regardless of whether he or she is
planning to enter the workforce directly after high
school, or plans to pursue higher education.
From Networked for Learning:
Enabling 21st Century Student Success
At the heart of programs that address students’ need
for customization are 1:1 laptop learning programs.
When students have their own computing devices,
they become independent learners who can access
materials that they need to learn. They can read
information at their reading level. They can get
answers instantly. They can communicate as they
learn. They can create information and share it with
others and even work with others online. They can
create presentations in whatever medium is best for
them. The list is endless. With a laptop, students have
the freedom to learn.
So important is this to the entire state of Michigan
that they call their laptop learning program
“Freedom to Learn.” Below is an example of a
Michigan district and its mission to individualize
learning for its students. Take a look at a New Jersey
school that is also focused on personalizing the
learning environment (page 9).
Michigan: laptops enrich learning for Caseville students
Ubiquitous access to laptop computers is helping the Caseville Public Schools enrich teaching and learning. Using funding from
Michigan's Freedom to Learn program, the district is providing wireless laptops to every student in sixth through 12th grade.
In 2005, the district received $30,000 from Michigan’s Freedom to Learn (FTL) Project for sixth grade laptops. Earlier this year, the
district received $90,000 from FTL for laptops for all high school students.
The Caseville Public School Board of Education has committed a total of $94,000 to the school’s Freedom to Learn program to ensure
there would be a laptop for all middle and high school students.
FTL also provided funding for professional development, field services, and project evaluation services.
Teachers can now post assignments and instructions for students to access, and students can send their finished assignments
electronically to their teachers for grading. Teachers use the laptops for presentations of difficult concepts and students can follow
up by using their laptops to do a variety of enrichment activities, using online supplemental materials and doing research to reinforce
their understanding.
According to Leslie Wilson, director of professional and curriculum development for FTL, the program is transforming the classroom into
a highly charged, student-centered learning atmosphere where teachers create a media-rich environment. With the emphasis on inquiry
and project-based learning, students are also working more collaboratively, moving around, and depending more on one another than
the teacher. “They are given permission to interact with the technology and each other in whatever way they need to learn,” Wilson
says. “It’s a much more constructivist environment just by virtue of the fact that these kids are working in their native world.”
Teachers report that students are more engaged and that they have fewer motivational problems. Teachers also say that the laptops have
saved them time and helped them become more efficient. As they become comfortable with the technology, teachers are experimenting
with new ways to use the laptops to support learning in all areas of the curriculum. They are most excited by the opportunity to
individualize instruction, using the technology to support a variety of learning styles.
From TechLearning.com
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New Jersey: personalized learning
Students at Monsignor Donovan High School in Toms River, New Jersey need
innovative technology to help get the most out of their academic experience while
extending the classroom environment beyond four walls. That's why the school
provides each student with HP Tablet PCs, and requires teachers to use them
across the curriculum.
The Tablets have given students better access to their instructors. Some teachers
allow students to submit homework and ask questions via e-mail after school
hours. Most teachers use e-mail to return corrected homework to students quickly,
often recommending ways students can improve weaknesses.
During school hours, classes use DyKnow software to let students take notes on
presentations given by their teachers. Meanwhile, teachers can monitor student
work and gauge each student’s understanding of the topic being discussed.
“More personal attention from teachers keep students focused and accelerates the
learning process,” says the Eliot Perez, technology director, Monsignor Dovovan
High School. “The HP Tablet PCs have inspired our teachers as well as our
students. Everybody is a winner.”
“Informal observations
have shown that students
using the HP Tablet PCs are
excelling in this environment,
particularly in our special-ed
and ELL (English language
learner) student populations,
where the technology levels
the playing field.”
Dani Pfeiffer
Assistant Principal
Kent Technology Academy
1:1 computing
Over the years, educators and policy makers, not to
mention taxpayers, ask how many computers per
student or per classroom are needed. Advocates for
different perspectives agree that technology-enabled
learning is important and the question is really one of
available funds. The ideal has become 1:1—one
computer per student, especially laptops, because
students can take them out of the classroom for
field-based learning and anytime, anywhere access
to information. In the real world, adults at work
use personal computers individually; they collaborate
on projects but do not share computers. There are
ways to address this need so that every district can
find a strategy.
1:1 isn’t just a great sounding slogan. Research
verifies that 1:1 computing produces impressive
results. Early results from a third-party evaluation of
the Michigan program are encouraging. Through a
combination of direct observation and surveys, the
evaluation found a significant increase in cooperative
and experiential learning and computer activities
involving critical thinking, plus more student discussion
than national norms. In addition, 61 percent of
students reported being more interested in learning,
54 percent felt they learned more, and 51 percent
believed their increased efforts would lead to getting
better jobs in the future. Although achievement
results from individual districts are promising, a
statewide analysis of results in core subject areas
is not yet complete.
Another example is the Kent School District, near
Seattle, Washington. The district chose the HP Tablet
PCs as part of a program to put computing power in
the hands of each of its 27,500 students. The program
is designed to motivate students, including those who
struggle in class or are uninspired. The school system
is determined to meet today's demanding achievement
standards and better prepare the students for
successful adult life. The approach means equipping
middle and high school students in the district with an
HP Tablet PC over the next four years.
For example, the Kent Technology Academy is the
district’s proving ground for making Tablet PCs part of
each student’s learning tools and each teacher’s lesson
plans. Opened to students in the fall of 2005, the
Academy brought together a diverse group of 90
seventh-grade student volunteers from across the
district into Mill Creek Middle School, one of the
district’s lowest-performing schools.
According to Dani Pfeiffer, Kent’s Assistant Principal,
“Informal observations have shown that students using
the HP Tablet PCs are excelling in this environment,
particularly in our special-ed and ELL (English
language learner) student populations, where the
technology levels the playing field.”
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Online class materials and Internet access put a vast
amount of information at students’ fingertips when
they need it. Instant messaging and online forums let
study- group members communicate, even if some
members are in another classroom or sick at home.
And students like the flexibility of using the Tablet PC
to type class assignments or write in longhand.
So far, the district finds that students are more
engaged in schoolwork; their performance has
improved, and students are better prepared to use
technology wisely. Teachers have found greater
flexibility to personalize lesson planning.
How to start
Because today’s digital natives (our students) will
benefit, now is the time to create an interactive
Becoming wireless, mobile,
and paperless
Located on the east side of Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Hartley High School is
a private Catholic school but a mirror image of the entire city. The 45-yearold school has nearly 600 students comprising a diverse collection of races
and socioeconomic classes.
As the regional training center for the schools of the Diocese of Columbus,
which includes 46 elementary schools and 11 high schools, Bishop Hartley
is the first school in the diocese to use the Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 to
help fulfill the diocese’s stated goal of empowering students to mature
spiritually, morally, intellectually, physically, and socially.
Their challenge was to implement a wireless, mobile, paperless
infrastructure for seniors based on intuitive technology, available to students
24x7 from any location. The solution they chose was 160 HP Tablet PCs,
HP LaserJet printers, 80 notebook PCs, and 30 desktop PCs.
The results were an increase in students’ enthusiasm for learning, improved
student organizational skills, the opportunity for educators to concentrate
on content over delivery, 24x7 access to work, and a reduction in the use
of paper.
Kenneth Collura, director of technology for the Diocese of Columbus,
says, “I see the future with Tablet PCs in every classroom, with every
student, and every teacher.”
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personal learning environment, and it can begin with
HP’s 1:1 Computing Program. To address the fastpaced and technology-center learning styles of
students, schools can improve student engagement,
increase achievement, and facilitate learning by
implementing a technology solution that gives today’s
students the tools they need to succeed in education
and their lives.
HP has a proud history of high quality and reliable
computing products, but the 1:1 program is more than
just computer hardware. It’s a comprehensive package
of educational software, training, and support, with
all the quality and reliability you would expect from
HP. For more detail, see HP's 1:1 Computing Program
components (page 18).
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The computer as a tool
The computer is a tool. Just as a ruler helps a student measure, a protractor helps calculate the degrees in an
angle, and a pencil and pad assist in the capturing of ideas, so a computer assists our children in creating,
manipulating, and producing various pieces of work. There is no magic formula for producing results in our
students. In order for our children to succeed it will take good teaching combined with good tools. The
computer can either be used properly and produce great results or improperly producing disastrous
consequences depending upon who wields the mouse.
Imagine, if you will, the technology-rich classroom. Every child is equipped with a Wi-Fi capable firewallprotected laptop. There are Bluetooth-enabled peripherals, such as printers, scanners, and projectors. There are
also hand-held computers and every other possible technological advantage.
Imagine the room with a well-prepared teacher, grounded in pedagogy, and knowledgeable about technology.
Whether novice or veteran, the possibilities are endless. The Internet CAN be used not only for static research
but for real-time data. Envision a project where the children can chat with experts in various fields or e-mail
their opinions to children in other countries, testing hypothesis online and sharing information.
They can then create PowerPoint presentations from this research. They can send drafts of information to their
teacher for immediate feedback. They can create charts and graphs. They can enhance their writing by using
a laptop and the writing process. They can use Word to do their drafting.
They can e-mail their information to their teacher for assistance with editing and revising. The teacher can
communicate by adding comments to their work and sending it back to the student. Finally, the students can
print a final copy or turn their work into a Web page. There can be peer-to-peer conferencing without the
students ever leaving their seats, and that is just the beginning.
From TechLearning.com
By Terry Woolard
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Learning styles
Students are individuals and as such they
comprehend, interact with, and process information
differently from one another. Some students understand
things based on skills of analysis, reason, and
problem solving. Others understand better by sensing
and imagining. Some need to see; others to hear, and
yet others to touch. Targeting materials to students’
learning styles makes it easier for them to understand
the information.
Teachers can present the same material in
different ways.
For example:
• Visual learners learn through seeing. They rely on
visual cues from other people or visual aids such as
diagrams and videos. Clearly, computers are best at
providing visual learners with materials in the way
they like to learn.
• Auditory learners learn through listening. They get
their cues from explanations and tutorials. Online,
they can hear discussions, lectures, and almost any
information. They can understand by listening over
again if they chose.
• Tactile/Kinesthetic learners learn through doing and
touching. They learn best with hands-on activities.
Interactive materials online provide them with just
the right way to learn.
Engaging students
A recent Project Fair at Hale Middle School in
Michigan demonstrated the results that can be
achieved when students take on highly
challenging but personally meaningful activities.
Projects ranged from a miniature anemometer to
a device to help visually impaired students open
and secure their lockers.
Students picked their projects from a set of
individualized recommendations that takes into
account their academic strengths, interests, and
learning-style preferences. It's all part of the
school’s online program that matches students'
interests and learning styles to many different
opportunities designed to provide enriched,
challenging learning.
From TechLearning News
With today’s drive toward inclusive classrooms,
students present a wider range of abilities, skills,
languages, and learning styles than ever before. How
can teachers address the needs of all? The answer is
differentiated instruction, grouping students with
similar abilities and needs and providing appropriate
learning activities to maximize growth.
Thanks to the Web, teachers can assign research
projects, confident that there’s an abundance of
information at students’ fingertips. Students like doing
research online; they can focus on complex topics and
create thorough and thoughtful reports. For elementary
students searching for simple texts and images to high
school students looking for sophisticated data, the
information is available online.
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Six key elements of 21st Century learning
Core subjects: The authors reaffirm the importance of the core subjects identified by No Child Left Behind but challenge schools and
policymakers to expand their focus beyond “basic competency” to understanding the core academic content at much higher levels.
Learning skills: “To cope with the demands of the 21st century,” the report states, “students need to know more than core subjects. They
need to know how to use their knowledge and skills—by thinking critically, applying knowledge to new situations, analyzing information,
comprehending new ideas, communicating, collaborating, solving problems, and making decisions.”
21st Century tools: Recognizing that “technology is, and will continue to be, a driving force in workplaces, communities, and personal
lives in the 21st century,” Learning for the 21st Century emphasizes the importance of incorporating information and communication
technologies into education from the elementary grades up.
21st Century context: Experiences that are relevant to students' lives, connected with the world beyond the classroom, and based on
authentic projects are central to the sort of education the Partnership for 21st Century Skills defines as the appropriate context for
learning in the information age.
21st Century content: The report's authors believe that certain content essential for preparing students to live and work in a 21st century
world is missing from many state and local standards.
New assessments that measure 21st Century skills: “As pervasive as assessment seems to be today,” the report says, “it remains an
emerging and challenging field that demands further study and innovation.” Recommendations include moving beyond standardized
testing as the sole measure of student learning; balancing traditional tests with classroom assessments to measure the full range of
students' skills; and using technology-based assessments to deliver immediate feedback.
From Learning for the 21st Century
21st Century skills
As much as students need to learn academic content,
they also need to know how to keep learning—and
make effective and innovative use of what they
know—throughout their lives. The Partnership for 21st
Century Learning, a public-private coalition, articulates
a vision of how schools can best prepare students to
succeed in the first decades of the 21st century.
According to them, the new skills are comprised of:
• Critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Communication skills
• Creativity and innovation skills
• Collaboration skills
• Information and media literacy skills
• Contextual learning skills
The only way for students to acquire these skills is by
using technology. In fact, the Partnership, in the report
“Learning for the 21st Century,” recommends as key
elements that schools use 21st century tools to develop
learning, teach and learn in a 21st Century context,
and teach and learn 21st Century content.
Help is on the way:
One-to-One Institute
The One-to-One Institute, funded by HP, is a
national non-profit organization to help transform
schools into high-performing, student-centered
and technology-rich learning environments. An
outgrowth of the successful Michigan Freedom to
Learn initiative, it has special expertise in serving
high priority and high poverty schools.
http://www.one-to-oneinstitute.org
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Tools and content
There are many examples of student learning with
technology. From doing individualized assignments to
researching information online and creating
presentations, students are engaged in learning
content when they have the right tools.
For example, At Hale Middle School, in Michigan’s
rural Iosco County, the laptops are used in all
curricular areas. While students are not allowed to
take the computers home, they are used extensively in
a special curriculum. Recently, seventh-graders were
writing a two-page letter about the dangers of drug
use and preparing a PowerPoint presentation of their
findings. They had gathered the data they needed to
make their cases by visiting a variety of anti-drug Web
sites, which they accessed using the wireless network
provided their school as part of Michigan’s Freedom
to Learn program. Teachers and administrators believe
the program has been very successful.
Multimedia
The value of rich, multidisciplinary, technology-infused
learning seems obvious to educators who have seen
its impact on young people. In all classrooms, adding
these creative new tools results in students learning
higher level thinking skills in order to share what they
have learned. For example, using an in-school studio,
Brian Reedy's students at Carson High School have
produced impressive videos warning peers of the
dangers of drug addiction and unsafe driving. Their
studio is equipped with an HP Server and a dozen HP
Workstations equipped to handle complex video
editing tasks.
21st Century content
How is education different now? For one thing, content is different. Students have to learn much more
than ever. In addition to basic skills, they have to be competent in the following:
Global awareness
• Using 21st Century skills to understand and address global issues
• Learning from and working collaboratively with individuals representing diverse cultures, religions,
and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue in personal, work, and community contexts
• Promoting the study of languages other than English as a tool for understanding other nations
and cultures
Financial, economic, and business literacy
• Knowing how to make appropriate personal economic choices
• Understanding the role of the economy and the role of business in the economy
• Applying appropriate 21st Century skills to function as a productive contributor within an
organizational setting
• Integrating oneself within and adapting continually to our nation's evolving economic and
business environment
Civic literacy
• Being an informed citizen to participate effectively in government
• Exercising the rights and obligations of citizenship at local, state, national, and global levels
• Understanding the local and global implications of civic decisions
• Applying 21st Century skills to make intelligent choices as a citizen
Source: Learning for the 21st Century
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Software solutions
Software such as DyKnow Vision™ encourages
interaction through collaborative note taking,
student response tools, content replay, and anywhere,
anytime access.
There are real benefits for students who use DyKnow
Vision: Teachers can send their presentation notes to
student computers so students don't have to take notes,
and they can use pen-based technology with the tablet
to add their personal comments to the class notes.
They can replay class content later to review exactly
how answers were derived. Other key points are
saving presentations with their personal notes,
collaborating with teachers and peers, and
electronically submitting and receiving homework
grades and immediate feedback.
1:1 classrooms
Within one-to-one teaching and learning environments, students engage
their natural, close technology-rich habitat to meet educational and personal
achievement goals. Research demonstrates that student engagement,
motivation, time on task, and self-directed learning improve when a
prescribed curriculum is taught in an environment in which personal,
portable technology has been effectively integrated on a one-to-one basis.
Applications such as Microsoft’s make a big
difference. Students use Office to create documents,
spreadsheets, and presentations. OneNote allows
students to use pen-based technology and a tablet to
gather information in one place, find what they need
fast, share notes and information, and convert
handwriting to text.
A one-to-one environment causes teachers to change their pedagogy to
create student-centered, constructivist environments where technology allows
students to be self-directed learning leaders, often teaching their teachers
how to use and troubleshoot the technology.
Multimedia and creative tools from Adobe help
students learn in new ways, manipulate information in
various forms, and share compelling presentations.
From photo editing to movie production to online
collaboration, students interact with professional tools
and learn the skills they will need as adults in this
global environment.
To be effective, one-to-one teaching and learning must attend to a structured,
systematic process of change that will transform learning from teachercentered to student-centered. Advanced planning, teacher and staff
preparation, professional learning, technology infrastructure, and assessment
and evaluation are strategic elements of a one-to-one program.
A collection of other tools and materials is in the
HP Learning Packs that can be loaded onto every
laptop to provide grade-appropriate software for
elementary, middle, and secondary school students.
These include multimedia, tools, and activities.
Changing a school environment from teacher-centered to student-centered
takes time, patience and attention to detail. Schools that have been most
successful to date have been especially attentive to upfront planning,
inclusion of all stakeholders in decision-making, and powerful
communications to all stakeholders before and during this long-term process
of change.
There is a lot that is new for students as well as for
everyone else, and teachers have to make sure that
students are always on task. DyKnow Monitor™
provide a bird’s eye view of student monitors so
teachers can be sure that students are always on task.
No one is an expert at this yet. We are all learning from each other as we
move toward the day when the integration of ubiquitous personal, portable
technology is no longer viewed as an isolated, episodic event in teaching
and learning environments.
From TechLearning.com
By Leslie Wilson
Collaboration
One other skill that students need is the ability to work
collaboratively on projects with others, some of whom
are located elsewhere. Using the Web, e-mail, instant
messaging and Internet telephony, they can reach out
into the world. With technology, students can work in
small groups wherever they happen to be and at any
time. Education doesn’t have to end as the bell rings
at 3:00.
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They can continue learning online if they use such
software as DyKnow Vision. They can go online from
anywhere and work together, even collaborating on
taking notes for projects. They can even reconstruct
how charts were built and concepts were introduced.
School, district, and classroom Websites
Students can research, collaborate, create and post
projects online, access primary sources, and search
for ideas on almost any topic. Using technology is
second nature to today’s learners. Students do
research willingly, and know that getting help with
homework and reports are among the key benefits
of being online. Many schools have Web portals
to provide easy access to information and
coursework, assignments, grades, content,
teachers, and outside experts.
Leveling the playing field
Online access to resources and information, research,
exploration, communication, etc. beyond typical hard
copy school resources makes the difference for this
generation of learners and may level the playing field
for students who traditionally would not have ready
access to information, tools, materials, and the
technology to learn 21st Century skills.
What we need to do to prepare students for a world
that is vastly transformed by technology. It is necessary
to constantly learn and adapt 21st Century tools—
Engaging learners
Public schools in Las Cruces, New Mexico, made learning exciting again for
students, while improving retention and classroom performance.
They began with a seventh grade laptop initiative, equipping every student
with an HP Notebook PC for use through high school graduation. Students had
been less than enthusiastic about learning until the district began integrating
computing in the academic curriculum to facilitate inquiry-based, hands-on
learning. Teachers learned how to be coaches and mentors. They also added
ABC-RV mobile classrooms with HP Notebook PCs.
including computers, telecommunications, and audioor video-based media—that are critical enablers in a
number of realms. And the fact that the information
age that has resulted from the widespread adoption of
such tools places us in a world of almost unlimited
streams of trivial and profound information, of
enormous opportunity and difficult choices,
necessitates an emphasis on information and
communication technology literacy skills that will allow
all students to make sense of it all.
When Michigan launched its Freedom to Learn
program in 2003, it hoped to distribute free laptop
computers to all the state’s middle school students.
Economic constraints caused the state to limit its efforts
to “high need” schools, those serving high poverty
students who were having problems making adequate
yearly progress.
Currently some 28,000 students in 100 school districts
are participating in the Freedom to Learn program.
The laptops are helping schools expand their
curriculum and better prepare students for life in
the 21st Century.
Bruce Montgomery, former executive director of the
Freedom to Learn program, says that schools involved
in the program are beginning to realize that by
capitalizing on students’ affinity for computers they
can open up new possibilities for educating children.
Technology as a bridge
Technology bridges school and students’ lifestyles. As
we pointed out, they rely on technology because they
have never known a world without it. Schools must use
technology to engage today’s students. Technology is
also a bridge to their future. With its use, they can
acquire the skills they need to be productive adults.
A new report, called the Horizon Report from the
New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE mentions
six technology trends that educators should watch.
These are:
• User-created content
• Social networking
They developed new technology-based curriculum units in math, science,
English, and social studies. The results included reducing student dropouts by
50% in historically worst-performing schools. They enrolled more at-risk students
and community outreach improved.
• Mobile phones
• Virtual worlds
• New scholarship and emerging forms of publication
• Massively multiplayer educational gaming
(From The Horizon Report)
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Technology also bridges equity issues. As students
become more and more immersed in all things digital,
schools must adapt and use the same tools and
techniques that students use at home. The world
becomes their 21st Century learning environment.
In Kershaw County School District, three amazing
things happened soon after laptops were given to the
students. First, the same day that the kids received
their machines and completed the basic training, they
returned to the classrooms and engaged immediately
in PC-based lessons, because the teachers felt
comfortable and confident with the technology.
Second, the equipment leveled the playing field
between regular students and special needs
individuals, giving them a similar range of skills on
the PCs. Third, it also brought about equality from a
socio-economic perspective since everyone has the
same equipment regardless of parental income, and
all ninth graders have the tools to complete
assignments and homework, so that parents can
stay involved.
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HP’s 1:1 Computing Program
Today’s students are in the first generation to have grown up immersed in technology. Combine their digital savvy with the requirements of the
“No Child Left Behind” Act, and your need to use technology so that students learn both basic and 21st Century skills has never been greater.
HP’s 1:1 Computing Program is an all-in-one solution. From PCs that ship with educational software to training, support, and financing, this program gives
you everything you need to fulfill the promise of one-to-one learning and provide educational opportunities in and beyond the classroom. It is HP’s goal to
help educators, administrators, and students benefit from a 21st Century learning environment.
Notebooks and tablets—HP professional grade notebooks and Tablet PCs
offer a balance of sophisticated technology and wireless mobility for
today’s students. HP’s reliable, lightweight mobile products foster
collaboration and provide anywhere access to Web-based resources and
communication tools that help students to develop 21st Century skills. In
addition, Tablet PCs provide smart computing capabilities such as
handwriting recognition, which is perfect for such things as field trip
notetaking.
HP Care Packs—HP Care Packs provide high-quality remote assistance
and onsite support for hardware, helping you to improve product uptime.
Service highlights include remote problem diagnosis and support, onsite
hardware support, and service-level options with different coverage
windows and response times.
1:1 computing accessories—USB drives, mouse pads, laptop bags, extra
battery packs, and more.
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HP Education Services—HP has two options for classroom curriculum
content depending on grade level requirements.
• Connected Tech™ is a K-8 Web-based instructional program that
teaches students technology skills within the context of the core
curriculum. It provides educators with a solid model for technologyintegrated, standards-based, lesson plans and delivers content-driven
technology integrated instruction to students, such as tutorials, lessons,
projects, online or offline learning for home and school, and
differentiated instructional approaches to accommodate learning styles.
• Curriculum Pathways® is a solution that provides tools and support that
help teach to a standards-based curriculum, prepare students for
college-level learning, instill 21st Century skills, and meet achievement
and accountability criteria. Built in accordance with the way students
learn, the online product provides a wealth of resources in English,
Spanish, science, math, social studies, and Spanish (grades 8-12).
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Software solutions:
HP Learning Packs—With the direct purchase of any HP desktop,
notebook, or Tablet PC, K-12 education customers can receive
HP Learning Pack software at no additional cost. Each HP Learning Pack
includes grade-level and subject-specific software in areas such as
multimedia, arts, adventure activities, teacher tools, and trainings.
DyKnow - DyKnow Vision™ allows students to concentrate their note taking
on solving problems, clarifying concepts, and making new connections.
Later, they can play back their notebooks and see stroke-for-stroke how
concepts were introduced. Teachers can use it to instantly transmit content
to student computers for personalized annotation and use response tools to
facilitate formative assessments.
Absolute® Software—Absolute Software’s Computrace® is a
guaranteed computer theft recovery, secure asset tracking, and data
protection solution. Based in the BIOS* firmware of all HP notebooks
and tablets, Computrace allows IT professionals to track stolen or missing
computers, inventory computers district wide, and detect changes in
hardware and software.
Microsoft Office and Microsoft OneNote—Microsoft Office is the suite
of productivity applications used by businesses and schools. Students
can write essays and reports with Word, do the math and create graphs
and charts with the Excel spreadsheet, organize lists and other data with
the Access database, create presentations with PowerPoint, and
communicate via email with Outlook. With OneNote, students can take
notes, gather information, and collaborate with others. It is most powerful
on a Tablet PC using the tablet's pen and ink capability, it can also be
used on a notebook.
Information subject to change without notice.
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Chapter 3: Teachers
Teachers want what is best for their students. In
today’s world, that means helping them acquire both
basic and 21st Century skills. Standards-based
curricula provide the traditional foundation of content,
and approaches like project-based learning provide
more of the critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Integrating technology, for example with multimedia
tools, helps guide students into developing creativity
and innovation skills.
Digital learning environment
Technology can help students learn all of the needed
skills. By encouraging students to use computers to
read, write, share, and present, teachers promote
communication skills. By providing access to the
Internet, they promote research, information, and
media literacy skills. They promote collaboration skills
by encouraging students to work together with peers,
teachers, and experts inside and beyond their
classrooms. Teaching with project-based learning and
technology tools helps students to analyze, synthesize,
and apply information and acquire problem-solving
and contextual learning skills.
Having ongoing access to their own laptops in and
out of school puts students into the environment they
need to learn for the future. Laptops make teachers
lives easier too – between being able to access
resources, improve productivity, and decrease the
burden of administrative tasks.
Of course, districts have to provide ongoing
professional development and support in order to
sustain this type of environment because teachers have
to be comfortable in it and know why technology
makes a difference. One educator explains his
reasons for integrating technology in the sidebar
“Eight reasons to teach with technology.”
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Eight reasons to teach with technology
Reason 1: expand time and place
In a typical high school a student has access to a
teacher one hour per day. That means she has
access to the teacher 6% of her waking day, and
even that time is shared with 25 classmates. She
has access to the Internet 100% of the time. That’s
20 times better. Technology is no substitute for an
inspiring teacher. However, on-line materials are
FAR more available. Twenty times more.
Using the textbook + classroom approach, the
places where learning can occur are limited. A
portable wireless computer has access to the
teacher’s course material and the entire Internet
almost anywhere. And this is a vastly larger
resource than can be practically carried on paper
in a backpack. The bottom line is that information
technology allows learning anywhere, anytime; not
just in one particular classroom for one hour a day.
Reason 2: depth of understanding
Interactive simulations and illustrations can produce
a much greater depth of understanding of a
concept. When virtual manipulatives are used in a
classroom setting they can go far beyond chalk
and talk. Using a projector, the teacher can
conduct onscreen investigations and demonstrate
concepts far more easily than with just words and
arm waving. Combine this class demonstration
with access to the same tools over the Web, and
the student can reinforce the ideas by playing with
the simulations themselves, any time, anywhere.
newspaper, run a Web-based school radio or TV
station, do claymation, compose digital music on a
synthesizer, make a Website, create a blog.
Reason 5: collaboration
A vital skill in the new digital world is the ability to
work collaboratively on projects with others who
may not be physically close. This can best be done
using modern computer tools such as the Web,
e-mail, instant messaging, and cell phone. Rather
than laboring alone on homework, students can
work in small groups wherever they happen to be
and at any time.
Reason 6: going global
We can expand students’ worldview because of
the zero cost of communicating with other people
around the globe. The Internet permits free video
conferencing which permits interaction in real time
with sister schools in other countries to understand
other cultures through direct dialog and
collaboration.
Reason 7: individual pacing and sequence
Students are, of course, all different. Information
technologies can permit them to break step with
the class and go at a pace and order that suits
their learning styles. Without disrupting the class,
they can repeat difficult lessons and explore what
they find interesting. With time, it will become
more like having a private tutor rather than being
lost in a large class.
Reason 3: learning vs. teaching
Reason 8: weight
Technology allows the tables to be turned.
Instead of teaching (push), students can be given
projects that require them to learn (pull) the
necessary material themselves. Key to this is the
ability to get the information they need any time
anywhere, without being in the physical presence
of a teacher.
Three textbooks and three binders easily weigh
over 25 pounds. A laptop computer weighs a few
pounds and provides access to infinitely more
material via its own storage and the Internet. A
40Gb hard drive can hold 2 million pages with
illustrations; the web is vast.
From TechLearning.com
Reason 4: self-expression
In the old days, students could write in a notebook,
and only the teacher saw what they wrote. Using
modern technology they can: Make a PowerPoint
presentation, record/edit spoken word, do digital
photography, make a video, run a class
22
By John Page
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Digital classroom solution
Making HP a partner in your technology program will enhance students’ learning experiences with a digital
classroom solution. In addition to personal systems, such as laptops or tablets, HP can help you build a
21st Century learning environment that is truly digital and modern. From leading-edge hardware and educational
software, HP’s Digital Classroom program brings together a customized program with products and partners that
will change the way students learn and teachers teach.
The program includes leading HP and partner products—PCs, printers, projectors, wireless networking products,
interactive whiteboards, accessories, software, partners, implementation support, professional development and
financial services. As Thuan Nguyen, director of project management and technical services in the Kent School
District says, “Because of the access and experience they have, we made them part of our problem solving. HP
came back with recommended technologies.”
Digital classroom benefits:
• Improve student engagement and achievement
• Improve teacher efficiency and effectiveness
• Foster collaboration—student to teacher; resource sharing among faculty
• Easy access to technology, data, assignments, grades, content, research, administration,
parental communication
• Professional development and student technology training
• Technology bridges school and lifestyle/home; prepares students with 21st Century skills;
levels playing field for all students; improves parental communication
• Standards-based curriculum delivered with 21st Century tools
• Improves productivity; decrease administrative tasks burden
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Improving student engagement and achievement
Teachers understand that students need an educational
environment that relates to the way they like to learn,
which in today’s world is increasingly dependent
on technology. When the classroom addresses
these needs, students are engaged and the result is
increased achievement.
For example, the Kent School District, south of Seattle,
Washington, faced the educational challenges of
motivating students and preparing them for success in
the 21st century. One way the district addressed these
challenges is with a long-term educational plan that
included equipping thousands of secondary school
students with HP Tablet PCs.
“During planning, I had my doubts about whether the
program would be beneficial,” Nguyen says. “Those
doubts were erased when I saw how the Tablet PC
helped improve traditional classroom teaching.”
“The increased ability of teachers to personalize
education for their students through the use of the
HP Tablet PC is a key reason for the improved
results,” says Assistant Principal Dani Pfeiffer,
“Informal observations have shown that students
using the HP Tablet PCs are excelling in this
environment, particularly where the technology
levels the playing field.”
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They wanted to motivate students and prepare them
to succeed in a technological society. They equipped
every middle- and high school student in the district
with an HP Tablet PC over four years. Students became
more engaged in schoolwork, improved academic
performance, and were better prepared to use
technology in adulthood. Teachers gained more
flexibility to personalize lesson planning.
In other districts with HP 1:1 programs, results point to
improvement in student attendance, individualized
instruction, cost savings, and Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) goals.
In Las Cruces, New Mexico, the district has developed
new technology-based curriculum units in math,
science, English, and social studies. Student attrition
was reduced by 50% in historically worst-performing
schools. They improved community outreach and
enrolled more at-risk students.
In Michigan’s statewide Freedom to Learn program,
attendance increased and student test scores improved
as part of AYP goals. Bruce Montgomery, the
program’s former Executive Director, says, “HP is truly
a partner in bringing 1:1 wireless learning to children
throughout Michigan. It is dedicated to helping us
improve education.”
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What else does it take to achieve gains? In addition
to using their HP Tablet PCs, teachers in these districts
provide access to HP printers, wireless projectors,
interactive whiteboards, mobile carts, and USB keys
for sharing data. Using familiar tools, teachers can
reach today’s digital generation. See “Reaching
today’s children” below.
Greater instructional reach
To provide the teachers in high schools greater
instructional reach, the Hillsborough County School
District installs laptops on mobile carts to allow them
to be rolled into the classroom for class instruction
when they are needed. In addition, one desktop PC is
permanently installed in each classroom for the
teacher’s use. The middle schools have opted for a
combination of some desktop PCs in the classroom
and laptops on mobile carts. The elementary schools
typically have a dedicated computer lab, laptops for
the teachers, and one or two desktop PCs in each
classroom for student use.
Finding resources
With their busy schedules, teachers need to find
information and teaching materials quickly. Websites
provide resources and links for every subject area,
and teachers can download lessons, activities, and
projects to use in their classrooms. They can
communicate with peers online and post assignments
for students and parents on school Websites. In
addition, online courses are a convenient way for
them to get professional development.
Classroom management
Teachers have to know that students are on task and
working at optimum performance. Using technology
could be challenging with a classroom full of students,
so teachers turn to software to control content, connect
students, and supervise their work.
For example, teachers can use distributed learning
applications to synchronize learning content and
collaboration from learning and course management
systems and make it available so that students can
continue their learning anytime, anywhere.
Reaching today’s children
Youngsters today occupy their time with high tech toys and games. Sometimes it seems as if it doesn’t require batteries or electricity, it
isn’t worth their time and effort. Gone are the days of “reading just for the fun of it.” For many (although hopefully not all) students
today, books have become something that is ‘boring’—something viewed as more like work than play.
This has created a challenge for educators. Children’s attention spans are no longer what they used to be; and this alone has made the
job of teaching more challenging. Understandably then, the ability to reach a child and retain his/her focus through the use of
traditional teaching tools like the textbook and chalk board has vanished in many classrooms.
While technology can be blamed for creating this new challenge for educators, this same technology has become an educator’s dream.
The Internet has transformed the teaching experience by connecting classrooms around the world to the world. Children who seldom if
ever leave their neighborhood, be it urban, suburban, or rural, are now able to visit places around the globe. Computer manufactures
have made significant improvements to computers—and now monitors display the most vivid and vibrant colors and images, and audio
systems project the most dynamic sounds.
The sheer ability to connect to the outside world has brought remarkable results for educators by giving them a new way to captivate
minds, hold attention spans, and engage children in the learning process. This is no small advancement in education. Indeed it has
created a magnificent change in learning by making it possible for educators to do more than teach a handful of children—they can
now reach an entire classroom by appealing to the senses that help spark imagination and creativity.
As globalization continues to increase and expand its tentacles into every aspect of society, our world continues to shrink. Internet
and computer technology has provided educators with advantages to helping prepare children for the world by exposing them to
communities and cultures beyond theirs. By reaching these children it is possible to teach them about the urgent problems that our
world faces today, whether it’s the struggle to prevent the Loggerhead turtle from extinction or the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
Technology has made it possible to put into classrooms windows to the outside world, and this has given educators a new tool by which
to keep children engaged in learning as well as keep them connected to the world in which they live.
From TechLearning.com
By Tracie Linderman
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Distributed learning applications get around
limitations of Web-based learning management (LMS)
and course management systems (CMS) that require a
network connection.
Teachers also want to determine student interaction.
For example, DyKnow Vision, a great tool for
collaboration, fosters interaction through collaborative
note taking, student response tools, content replay, and
anywhere, anytime access. Teachers can transmit to
student screens, and students can personalize the
content with their own handwritten notes.
Similarly, teachers want to monitor student work. For
that they turn to DyKnow Monitor™, which offers a
flexible way to keep a bird’s-eye view of student
computers. Like other computer monitoring and control
applications, teachers can use DyKnow Monitor to
view thumbnails of student screens, block Internet
browsing and other distracting applications, and blank
student screens. They can monitor lab and mobile
computers using class rosters, computer locations, or
both to identify students. They can monitor computers
in wired and wireless environments.
Collaboration
Collaboration portals provide secure, scalable, easy-touse collaboration with powerful communications and
information sharing including e-mail, instant messaging,
electronic discussions, personal calendars and group
scheduling, and rules-based message management.
These integrated collaborative solutions provide schools
with communication between teachers, parents, and
the community and knowledge management and
e-learning. With it, teachers can collaborate with other
teachers and with students, share knowledge and
resources, and use e-learning tools.
The advantages extend to students, who can
collaborate with other students and teachers and get
homework assignments and even take tests when
they’re out sick. Parents can monitor homework
assignments or attendance, and track student progress.
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Easy access
The appeal of the digital classrooms is that students
can access the resources they need and teachers can
have easy access to information, teaching materials,
colleagues, data, assignments, grades, content,
research, and more. As part of this new classroom
environment, teaching the fundamental skills changes
with the times. In today’s world, teaching the good
old “3 Rs” takes on new meaning—and we add a
new basic.
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The new Rs—now there are 4
Reading—exposing knowledge
In the old days (when we were growing up), if we could read and understand the text handed to us by
teachers, librarians, and publishers, it meant we were literate. Today, our students typically begin their
information experiences in front of a global electronic library of billions of pages of information, where
materials can be published by just about anyone, on just about anything, and for just about any reason.
If our students have been taught only to read and understand this information, they could be in serious
trouble, possibly even in danger. Accessing information in an increasingly digital and networked world
requires a range of skills of which decoding text is only a small part.
Basic skills for today's students include the following:
• Finding information: Locating relevant information not only from a local library or newsstand, but also
from the Internet. Literacy includes the ability to identify needed information, use Web searching tools
to find it, and employ research strategies that expose the best information.
• Decoding information: Beyond decoding text, literacy requires reading deeply for meaning in
multimedia content.
• Evaluating information: It is critical that students learn to evaluate the information they encounter, and
also identify its value in terms of their goals.
• Organizing information into personal digital libraries: A key strategy for handling the overwhelming
amount of information available to us is the construction and cultivation of personal digital libraries.
When we create and organize information that is relevant to our ongoing interests and goals, then we
can handily find answers to our questions.
Arithmetic—employing information
Again in the old days, numbers were used as a way of measuring our environment and the laws that
governed it precisely and to manipulate that environment and its laws in order to add value to our lives.
Today, just about all information is expressed in the universal language of numbers. Multimedia content
is stored and communicated as ones and zeros, otherwise known as binary code. Since information is
expressed in numbers today, and personal computers are available for interpreting and modifying those
numbers, it becomes raw material that can be analyzed, altered, and improved in pursuit of a goal.
It becomes just as important to be able to use a computer to process the invisible numbers behind
images, audio, and video content as it is to be able to add, subtract, measure, count, and calculate
the visible numbers.
Learning to process any and all information requires:
• Basic mathematical skills: As always, students must know how to add, subtract, count, measure, and
calculate numbers. They must also understand the fundamental laws of numbers and how to use these
concepts to answer questions, solve problems, and accomplish goals.
• Computer-aided processing of numbers: Of the numerous exabytes of information that will be
generated this year, only a small percent of it will be printed. The rest will require a machine to read
it. Students, while they learn the basic skills of processing printed numbers, must also learn to process
large quantities of digital numbers using computer spreadsheets and other data processing tools.
continued on the following page
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• Processing media: Because of affordable digital cameras, scanners, MIDI music devices, and the vast
array of multimedia content available on the Web, obtaining or creating the picture (or sound) is no
longer the final outcome. It is merely a part of the process. All formats of information can be moved into
powerful graphic, sound, and video processing software and altered to communicate in a more precise
and compelling way. Students must learn to use these software tools in order to add value to information.
It's all about numbers, but also about using computers to process those numbers in order to improve the
delivery of information and accomplish goals.
Writing—expressing ideas compellingly
In a world bursting with information, we can use only the information that is successful in competing for our
attention. And there is a lot of it online. The information we select will be what looks the most appealing,
seems to communicate itself most effectively and efficiently, and appears reliable and authoritative.
Writing will continue to be a core skill for all students, because some information is simply communicated
most effectively in text. However, other information might best be expressed using pictures, sound,
animation, or video. Students must master a range of practical and technical skills involved in expressing
ideas effectively and compellingly.
• Writing effectively: Students must learn not only the mechanics of writing, but how to use text to
communicate knowledge and ideas more efficiently than ever.
• Communicating with multimedia: Students must also learn to match their message with the medium that
best communicates it, and then use the appropriate tools to create and or modify it in order to attract the
attention of an audience.
Ethics: right and wrong on the Information highway
As information becomes increasingly important to our economy and culture, it also becomes more
powerful—able to accomplish enormous good and great harm. This is why it is essential that at the
same time we teach our students these prevailing information skills, we also teach them the ethical use
of that information.
• Information reliability: Students must learn to assess the accuracy of the information that they access and
use, and it is equally important for them (and for all of us) to provide evidence of the accuracy and
reliability of the information products they assemble.
• Information property: In the information age, we are all information property owners. Most of us
will make our living by producing information products. It is important that students gain an appreciation
of information as property that needs to be respected in the same way that we respect each other's
material property.
• Information infrastructure: Today, we depend on the computers and networks through which our
information flows to no less degree than we depend on our roads, rails, waterways, and airports.
Planting a virus on a network is just as destructive as planting a bomb under a bridge. Students must
realize the importance of our information infrastructure and how critical it is to our success in the future.
From Technology & Learning
By Sara Armstrong and David Warlick
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Differentiated instruction
Professional development
School systems today recognize that students who are
grouped together may have very different skills and
learning styles, not to mention reading levels and
languages. Teachers are charged with educating all of
their students to maximize their potential. One strategy
educators use to address student differences is
differentiated instruction, in which they group students
who have similar abilities and provide them with the
most appropriate learning activities.
Professional development is crucial to an effective
technology program. It includes preparing teachers to
use technology to support standards-based teaching,
student-centered learning, and using more effective
strategies to reach today’s “wired” students. The goal
of technology integration is to use technology
seamlessly so that the technology itself becomes a
transparent and integral tool to teach core curriculum.
Thanks to the Web, teachers can assign research
projects, confident that there’s an abundance of
information at students’ fingertips. Students like doing
research online; they can focus on complex topics and
create thorough and thoughtful reports. For elementary
students searching for simple texts and images to high
school students looking for sophisticated data, the
information is available online.
In addition to having access to the Web, technology
provides other ways to teach using differentiated
instruction. For example, using a handheld device,
a teacher gives a pop quiz, monitors the students’
answers, compiles grades, analyzes the areas with
the lowest scores, and re-teaches that lesson—all in
the same class period.
For ideas on models of professional development and
how to begin to plan, see the sidebars “Professional
development: 21st Century models” and “Steps to a
professional development plan.” For suggestions for
ongoing strategies, see “20 tips for professional
development.” For an example of professional
development services available for purchase, see
“HP Education Services training and professional
development.” One effective method is to build an
online community for educators to share and
communicate. See “Building a learning community”
for ideas on what to do.
Teaching with handheld devices
Imagine a grammar school class where a teacher can alter her lessons and measure her students’
performance in real time—and ensure that 100% of her students are engaged, participating, and
accountable. Sound impossible? It’s happening right now. Elementary schools and high schools, with
students equipped with HP iPAQs can now use remote, wireless technology to transform the classroom
into a real-time learning environment.
Here’s how it works. A teacher conducts a lesson about, let’s say, the Civil War. At the close of that
specific lesson, she can issue a pop quiz via her desktop, accessible from each student’s iPAQ—
AND—she can monitor each students response as they answer. The teacher can, via messaging, talk
to a student during the test if it looks as though they are struggling, providing personalized attention
without the public spotlight. The teacher can correlate all the students’ responses, identify where gaps
occur in the lesson, and re-teach that piece of the lesson right then and there.
She can also transfer student scores into a database which allows her to then analyze student groups
to uncover any relationships like seat location in the classroom, morning vs. afternoon, etc.
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Steps to a professional development plan
1. Develop a professional development subcommittee.
2. Demonstrate examples of classroom technology use.
3. Use multiple needs assessment instruments.
4. Design individual learning plans.
5. Identify leaders who can provide expertise.
6. Create a list of on-site learning opportunities.
7. Share a list of off-site and online learning opportunities.
8. Build in time for staff planning meetings.
9. Share successes as well as expectations not yet met.
10. Continue to plan and re-evaluate often.
11. Create programs that provide on-going support.
Professional development: 21st Century models
The key to effective professional development is finding a way for
school systems to organize the work of qualified teachers so they
can collaborate with their colleagues in developing strong learning
communities that will sustain them as they become more
accomplished teachers. What do successful professional
development communities look like? And what role does
technology play in supporting them?
Evolution of professional development
Face-to-face presentations, some of them including hands-on lab
sessions, are still at the core of most professional development
programs involving technology. However, in recent years these
professional development offerings have evolved in key ways. For
example, professional development used to be all about the 'how
to' of technology, but the focus now is on instructional strategies
and needs and academic goals.
Perhaps the biggest thing that has changed about technologyrelated professional development over the years is the recognition
that it needs to be ongoing. In fact, federal No Child Left Behind
funds earmarked for professional development come with a
stipulation: they cannot be used for one-day or short-term learning
experiences.
According to experts, another key element of sustained
professional development is teacher collaboration and teamwork.
Every teacher must be a part of a learning team—a team of
teachers who meet often about practical ways to improve teaching
and learning.
Online learning
Technology is perhaps the most important—and most
underutilized—tool for providing teachers access to the targeted
professional development they need, when and how they need it.
Online courses, informal support groups, and other networksupported resources open the door to professional development
30
opportunities far beyond what any school or district might be able
to offer. In many school districts across the country, virtual course
delivery systems are used for both online instruction and ongoing
collaboration among teachers.
Models and mentors
Starting with the most energetic, enthusiastic, early adopters and
allowing them to inspire others is a popular strategy today. Even
in districts and states where no funding is available for model
classrooms, many professional development programs rely heavily
on identifying internal experts and leaders to serve as mentors
to others.
In some cases, the mentors are students rather than adult teachers
or administrators. Students make up 92% of the school population
and have lots of energy and technology expertise.
Some believe the best professional development is that which
happens casually as teachers share with teachers what they are
learning on an ongoing basis.
Learning from case studies
Another collegial approach that focuses on mentorship and best
practices is the type of “lesson study” used effectively for
professional development in Japan. The lesson study process,
popularized in this country by James W. Stigler and James Hiebert,
involves extended observations of individual lessons by groups
of educators who then meet to analyze the approaches and
outcomes observed.
Lesson study and other sorts of best-practice observations benefit
greatly from videotaping and viewing. Increasingly the video is
digital and finding its way onto the World Wide Web.
From Technology & Learning
By Judy Salpeter
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20 tips for professional development
1.
Be aware of your reluctant learners. Be sensitive to each
learner and listen carefully to his or her beliefs and needs. Try
to refrain from judgment. Realize that change takes time and is
different for everyone.
2.
Keep it real. Develop all learning opportunities around
projects, standards, and goals. Technology becomes more
personal and real to teachers if they can see it in context and
as part of their curriculum.
3.
Get your administrators on board. Don't limit professional
growth opportunities to the teachers in your schools. Successful
programs have supportive administrators.
4.
Don’t touch the mouse. Explain the processes and act as a
“guide on the side” when new or reluctant learners are trying
out technology skills. Resist the temptation to step in and show
them how to do it.
5.
Form study groups. Follow up professional development
sessions with small study groups that meet weekly, allowing
participants to develop the shared language and common
understanding necessary for acquiring new knowledge and
skills. Larger study groups from different schools can hold
monthly meetings, face-to-face—or virtually, focusing on shared
interests or projects.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Provide other opportunities for team work. Teachers tend to be
isolated in their classrooms, unaware of what is happening
even in the classroom next door. Encourage teachers of the
same grade level or subject area to develop curriculum
collaboratively.
Establish mentors. Identify teachers, students, and curriculum
specialists who can mentor faculty in their classrooms, during
prep times, or after school, thus helping to model good
technology-supported instruction and offering feedback and
advice on a variety of topics.
Support the mentors. Provide each mentor with a coach who
can observe, plan, model, and provide feedback on his or her
projects and leadership skills, both on-site and online.
Use technology to nurture the learning community. A variety of
online discussions, activities, and resources can be used to
encourage ongoing conversation about issues raised during
professional development sessions.
10. Vary the tools for online professional development.
Asynchronous tools such as threaded discussions, e-mail
forums, and Web archives are easy for most learners to use
and offer the scheduling flexibility busy educators need for
“anytime anywhere” learning. On the other hand, synchronous
exchanges, including online chat, instant messaging,
videoconferencing, and collaborative workspaces, work well
for certain group assignments or virtual meetings such as
debates, town hall events, and “meet the expert” interviews.
11. Don't rush online learning. Working entirely online is new and
uncomfortable for most of us. Online communities will dissolve
if there is nobody to facilitate them and to help build the
feeling of community. Combine online learning and face-to-face
meetings, especially at first, so that people can get to know
one another and build a mutual set of goals.
12. Market your professional development. Teachers are so busy,
they may not realize that what you are offering is exactly what
they need. Create “FYI” memos that you send by e-mail, put
flyers in their inboxes, create an electronic mailing list to
promote upcoming events, and follow up with a phone call to
confirm your coaching sessions.
13. Say cheese. Videotape all staff development activities for
assessment and feedback. Videos can also be used as
automatic portfolios. Individual frames can be captured
digitally to use in teacher portfolios or on a Website.
14. Show what's available. Make sure teachers are aware of
available and emerging technologies that could support them
in the classroom or for personal productivity. Include
“Technology Moments” at staff meetings where a device, a
program, or a project can be demonstrated to the staff.
15. Build a library of resources. Develop a technology binder,
Website, or video collection with sample lessons, support
materials, tips, and practical ideas.
16. Offer just-in-time tutorials. So that your teachers can have
what they need at their fingertips when they need it, create
or use existing step-by-step, how-to tutorials in print, videotape,
or online.
17. Make yourself available. Use e-mail and personal visits to
check in with the educators you coach or mentor.
18. Create summer learning experiences. Provide summer institutes,
when teachers have the time for hands-on experiences, and
encourage sharing, playing, experimenting, and learning.
19. Aim for the right ratios. Coaching teachers works best if the
ratio is 1-to-1 or, at the most, 3-to-1. The smaller the group, the
easier it is for the mentor or coach to focus in on the learner's
needs. Workshops work best if the ratio is no more than 15
learners per trainer, preferably under 12-to-1.
20. Share what works. Have teachers create electronic portfolios
of work, ideas, and reflections to share in study groups.
Help them show off their most successful projects and
approaches. Put on a showcase and post it to a Website
for everyone to see.
From Technology & Learning
By Judy Salpeter
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HP Education Services and professional development
HP Education Services provides a professional
development solution aimed at the needs of
educational institutions implementing a technology
initiative that can be customized to meet the needs of
students, teachers, and administrative staff by
providing training on the HP device, Windows
operating system, Microsoft productivity applications,
and classroom curriculum content.
HP technology
training
On-site training provides all the information the staff needs to know to get up and
running with technology. Training is based on your specific teacher and school needs
and presents a range of topics such as hardware orientation, software applications, online curriculum, and classroom tools available on the laptops. The goal is to make sure
educators can immediately start to integrate technology into their classrooms.
On-line student
curriculum
There are two choices for classroom curriculum content and both provide the best
offerings depending on grade level requirements. Choose either Connected Tech™ or
Curriculum Pathways® to augment your existing standard curriculum. Connected Tech is
a K-8 Web-based instructional program that teaches students technology skills within the
context of the core curriculum. Curriculum Pathways® is a carefully integrated, easily
adaptable product grounded in the principles of cognitive science.
On-line
professional
development
for teachers
Connected University is an online professional development community that provides
educators with courses, learning resources, just-in-time support and a convenient way to
interact with peers nationwide as they work to integrate technology and improve student
learning in their classroom.
HP Managed
Classroom with
Microsoft Class
Server
The online learning management solution is specifically designed to help small schools
meet the critical requirements of No Child Left Behind. The hosted and managed
solution utilizes the framework of Microsoft® Class Server and SharePoint™ and
provides schools powerful technology without the high costs and maintenance.
Building a learning community
Not all teachers are ready to collaborate online, but having time to plan, share, and learn from each other
is essential for their own professional growth. If you are responsible for designing the school's professional
development program, consider some of the following ideas for teacher collaboration:
• Encourage team teaching for interdisciplinary projects
• Create teams within departments, grade levels, or by area of interest that meet regularly
• Encourage visiting each other's classrooms
• Form reading groups where teachers read different articles and share their findings
• Find areas of expertise where experts teach the other members of the group their expertise
• Ask teachers to find a curriculum topic they would like to develop into a project together
• Provide support on-site and online for any project development
From TechLearning.com
By Barbara Bray
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An inside look: Trussville City Schools
When Trussville City Schools in Alabama was
created as its own four-school district, teachers
and administrators began to dream anew about
how technology could be used to help raise the
quality of education. From that process came the
decision to implement a one-to-one computer-tostudent initiative. Step one was equipping 300
teachers with HP Compaq Notebook PCs.
Benefits
• New educational tools available to teachers
• Teachers gain flexibility with HP notebooks
• Increased opportunities to personalize education
for students
• Greater freedom for teachers to work away
from school and gain more control over their
personal lives
• Improved collaboration with administrators and
other teachers
• Better-informed parents, thanks to teacher
Websites
• Teachers entered the world of wikis, blogs,
and podcasts
On July 1, 2005, Trussville City Schools won the
lotto. At least that’s how it felt to the parents and
educators who worked for years to disconnect the
community’s schools from the large district that
serves metropolitan Birmingham.
With the birth of the four-school, 4,000-student
district came the funding to enable teachers
and administrators to dream anew about how
technology could be used to help raise the quality
of education. From that process came the decision
to implement a one-to-one computer-to-student
initiative.
The district’s first step was to give 300 teachers
a year to explore how best to use technology in
their classrooms. Following that, a grade-by-grade
introduction of PCs would be implemented. The
district’s technology choice for grades 6-12:
HP Compaq Notebook PCs.
Once-a-week technology classes helped teachers
learn about their new hardware and software.
Now teachers are using the technology in many
creative ways. Some examples:
• A physics teacher captures students’ tennis
swings on video and uses software that relates
their swings to physics principles
• Teachers make frequent use of WebQuests,
which challenges students to explore the Web
for information
• Teachers use instant messaging to answer
student questions after school
• Teachers develop social networking tools such as
blogs, wikis, and podcasts
• Teachers invite students to do filmmaking with
Windows® Movie Maker and share photos on
SharePoint
Best of all, there is more flexibility for teachers.
The HP notebook PCs’ portability has helped
teachers better schedule their days. They no longer
are tied to the classroom until 6 p.m. They can
leave at 3:30 p.m., take their notebooks home
and connect to the district’s Virtual Private
Network. They can do anything they need to for
class from the privacy of their homes.
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HP’s Digital Classroom Program
34
Notebooks and tablets—HP professional grade
notebooks and Tablet PCs offer a balance of
sophisticated technology and wireless mobility.
HP’s reliable, light-weight mobile products foster
collaboration and provide anywhere access to
Web-based resources and communication tools
that help students develop 21st Century
technology skills.
Thin clients—HP Thin Clients provide lowmaintenance and affordable desktop solutions
that are secure, safe, and durable because
desktop controls and icons can be locked down,
with no way to introduce viruses and no
breakable moving parts. HP Thin Clients provide
quick initial installation, software upgrades, and
lower energy usage than PCs, which translates
into additional cost savings. Networked learning
centers, computer labs, and libraries can be
equipped with more workstations at a lower cost
and provide faculty with easy access to
centralized information.
Mobile cart—HP’s mobile cart solution provides
schools and districts with a way to store, charge,
and organize HP Notebooks and/or Tablet PCs
in one place, creating a simple 1:1 computing
environment and the flexibility to move from
classroom to classroom.
Desktops—The HP Compaq Business Desktop
Family provides worry-free computing and
space-saving models that are ideal for an
educational environment. Models are factory
configured for usability, and offer the reliability
and performance educators require for research
and secure document storage.
Monitors—HP TFT monitors are perfectly suited
for a classroom or meeting room audience,
because of features such as height adjustment,
tilt, and swivel options to create the most
comfortable viewing experience. HP’s variety of
monitor options and sizes is sure to have an
offering for your classroom, front office, or back
office needs.
Printers—Schools and districts can count on
HP LaserJet and HP DeskJet printers to be
reliable, easy to manage, and affordable, for
black and white and color printing.
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Other digital classroom products:
Wireless projectors—Project powerful presentations to students in
virtually any classroom setting with a wireless projector. Combined
with HP’s notebooks and tablets, teachers can move about the
classroom to monitor student performance and create a truly
collaborative classroom.
Interactive whiteboards—Combine an interactive whiteboard with a
projector and computer to create an interactive classroom or office.
With touch controls, teachers and students can write, erase, and
perform mouse functions with finger, pen, or an eraser. Capture
work as a screen shot, then edit or save notes directly into several
software applications, including Windows or AutoCAD software.
Student response systems—Teachers have the ability to gather
instant data from all of their students to quickly assess
comprehension. This formative assessment enables the teacher to
identify students’ challenges and address them immediately.
Digital classroom accessories—mouse pads, computer security locks,
projector wall mounts, wireless Bluetooth connections, whiteboard
accessories, and more.
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Software solutions:
HP Learning Packs—With the direct purchase of any HP desktop,
notebook, or Tablet PC, K-12 education customers can receive
Learning Pack software at no additional cost. Each Learning Pack
includes grade-level and subject-specific software in areas such as
multimedia, arts, adventure activities, teacher tools, and trainings.
DyKnow - DyKnow Vision™ allows students to concentrate their
note taking on solving problems, clarifying concepts, and making
new connections. Later, they can play back their notebooks and
see stroke-for-stroke how concepts were introduced. Teachers can
use it to instantly transmit content to student computers for
personalized annotation and use response tools to facilitate
formative assessments. DyKnow Monitor™ helps teachers keep an
eye on student screens, block internet browsing and other
distracting applications, and blank screens.
Absolute® Software—Absolute Software’s Computrace® is a
guaranteed computer theft recovery, secure asset tracking, and
data protection solution. Based in the BIOS* firmware of all HP
notebooks and tablets, Computrace allows IT professionals to track
stolen or missing computers, inventory computers district wide, and
detect changes in hardware and software.
Information subject to change without notice.
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Chapter 4: Parents and the community
Involving parents or guardians in students’ education
improves learning. That’s just common sense, but it’s
also supported by the No Child Left Behind Act and
noted in research. Yet in today’s overly scheduled lives
of parents, students, teachers, and administrators,
making that home-school connection isn’t easy.
Technology helps parents to be involved by providing
access to information, grades, teachers, and
administration; enhancing communication with parents
and the community, and calendaring.
According to the National PTA, studies confirm that
parent/family involvement benefits both the children
and adults involved. When parents are involved, their
children’s achievement, motivation, behavior, and
attendance improve as well as their attitudes toward
school, homework, and teachers. Parent involvement
also helps school personnel to get to know students
better and parents to relate to their children’s lives
at school.
Parents and communities are calling on schools to
provide outreach and accountability. They want access
to appropriate information for any student, teacher,
administrator or parent, any time, from any location,
through any device using a personalized Web portal.
They also want schools to evaluate the progress of
students through analysis of trends, test scores, and
individual needs and provide ongoing access to
student progress for parents.
NCLB requires schools to provide information to
parents about their child’s progress as well, and
educators are paying attention. For example: in
Michigan’s Freedom to Learn (FTL) statewide one-toone initiative, one of the goals is to empower parents
and caregivers with the tools to become more involved
in their children’s education.
Inherent to the FTL solution are applications and tools
that allow for consistent communications among
parents or caregivers, students, and teachers. Parents
can go into the district and school Websites to follow
and monitor students’ progress and get homework and
assignments. This means that parents are intimately
involved in the education of their students. Other states
are using Websites to provide information too.
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District Websites
The key to building a community is a robust Website
or portal that creates the virtual center of the
community online. With it, registered users can have
access to the day-to-day information about the district.
With access, the community can evaluate student,
school, and district progress through test scores, AYP,
state rankings, and more.
In building a portal, the idea is to know your
constituencies, understand their needs, and
communicate intelligently with them to keep them
happy, informed, and supportive. Districts can use
third-party software to provide services. Communities
want to know that schools are preparing students to
be part of a 21st Century workforce that will benefit
the whole community. When they know exactly what is
happening and are part of the process, they end up
providing the funding, support for grants, and
continued financial support to continue developing
technology programs.
38
Third-party software
solutions
Student Management Systems help K-12
educators and administrators gather, manage,
analyze, and apply student data to enhance
student achievement.
Content management systems enable schools
to host their classes on the World Wide Web.
Applications software provides the basic tools
of work—for word processing, databases,
presentations, and spreadsheets.
Enterprise-wide solutions perform functions
from basic financial and human resources
management systems to more specialized
applications like utility billing, public safety,
and justice for cities and counties, as well as
student management, financial aid, citizen
service portals, and fundraising solutions.
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Ten tips for starting a district Website
1. Establish a planning committee that reflects all stakeholders.
2. Review other school and district Websites to analyze what works well and what doesn’t.
3. Identify the purpose of the Website and establish goals on what you want to achieve as a result of creating it.
4. Set policies, clear expectations, and procedures. You need a policy for the use of student names, photographs, and projects. Decide
how you will protect the safety of students and staff and make information secure. Address legal issues such as copyright and fair use,
student permission to publish, and acceptable use policies.
5. Determine who your audiences are (e.g., parents, students, staff, the community).
6. Decide what kinds of information you want to present to each.
7. Identify roles and responsibilities: Who will create, update, and add content, how often will they do so, and under what conditions?
Who will have oversight over what is published and monitor quality?
8. Determine the method for creating the site. Programmers can write HTML code or others can rely on Web editing software or
Web-based tools. Keep in mind that you want a template that’s attractive, consistent, and easy for others, even students, to use.
9. Develop the structure for your site. Use careful organization and navigation. For example, plan a menu page carefully for quick access
to everything and decide if you want to include interactive Web services for communication among school, home, and community.
10. Plan for change; Websites are always evolving.
From Technology & Learning
By Gwen Solomon
Accountability
Accountability means that districts take student
achievement as their mission and are open about the
results. NCLB mandates that schools and districts
report test score results to parents and the community.
States issue annual report cards on school
performance and statewide progress. When results
are easily available, they can have a real impact.
Parents can be better informed about, and involved in,
students’ progress. Students can know where they
stand at all times. Teachers can see when students
need extra help.
The U.S. Department of Education says, “The more
parents and taxpayers know about the academic
achievement of their children and overall condition of
schools, the more likely they are to be involved in the
schools and the public school system. Under the law,
parents get information about their children’s progress
in key subjects, the quality of their children’s schools,
and teacher qualifications. Teachers and principals get
information about how each child is performing in
order to diagnose and meet individual student needs.
Policymakers and leaders at the state and local levels
get information about which schools and school
districts are succeeding and why, so they can export
successful strategies to other schools and address
any failures.
Coursework and grades
At the heart of accountability is streamlining
instruction. One way to manage this process is to use
course management software that creates an online
environment for every class. On top of that, districts
can build a system that allows parents access to all
assignments with due-dates and project sheets. It is
important to create access to public components of
the student information system so teachers can post
student scores and comments for parents to review.
Parents can track their children’s progress over time.
Communication
In order for school administrators to communicate with
staff, teachers, parents, and the community, they need
Web tools on the portal for such things as blogging,
podcasting, and even social networking contained in
a secure environment.
Calendaring
One part of linking home and school is in helping
parents, children, and community members to keep
track of activities that matter. Sharing information with
busy parents about student activities used to be
complicated. Now schools can organize all events,
trips, performances, and anything else on their
district’s Website. Educators can post their schedules
and the entire school’s calendar is visible online. Then
parents can view and print the schedules.
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Punahou School Hawaii
Goals of Punahou School were to enable more direct communication between students, staff, faculty,
parents, and alumni and to provide curriculum support through the use of technology.
The solution they created was a K-12 education portal to scale for 25,000+ people. It provides an
integrated, collaborative solution for students, teachers, and parents. It contains comprehensive knowledge
management and e-learning functionality. With it, teachers can prepare and share information with each
other. Students can work on assignments at school or home.
They use HP products and services for Web servers, a connected storage area network, and
IT infrastructure.
In order to support teaching, learning, and the school mission, they use both HP desktop and Tablet PCs,
wireless access network, and servers for file and print. For student information and human resources
applications, they use HP printers.
The result is that school resources are available to the community via the portal – enabling an even greater
connection with the school and learning beyond the standard school hours. A wide range of learning
options is available to students, helping them learn at their own levels and pace. Teachers receive a broad
range of professional development training, which encourages them to support their curriculum through the
use of technology.
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Improving communications
The Anoka-Hennepin School District is the largest
public school district in the state of Minnesota. When
the school board charged the district to improve
communications with parents by providing a variety of
services and information online, the Anoka-Hennepin
technology team began to evaluate solutions. The goals
were to provide centralized, secure access to
everything from bus route information to students’
schedules and assignments, to attendance records
and nutrition.
The challenges were to create a secure, online service
to provide parents with access to a wide variety of
student and school information; to use technology to be
of greater service to the families of schoolchildren; to
expand and improve communications in a way that
reflects a lean operating environment; to develop a
single login strategy, and to allow for multiple role
management. The parents and community were
involved, and the solution they found involved using
HP consulting and integration services and its project
management and implementation services as well.
• It enabled faculty and staff to access information
from outside the school.
• It helped the school district do more with less,
making vital information more accessible and
customer-oriented, while maintaining the same level
of staff.
• It provided accounts for more than 21,000 parents.
• It enabled teachers to post homework and other
grade book information.
• It helped parents participate more fully in children’s
school experience, with information to support,
guide, and keep students on track.
• Online accounts provided access with enhanced
security features to authorized people.
• The convenient single, log-on strategy provided
enhanced security features.
There are even more reasons for parents to be involved
and informed. In today’s online environments lurk
dangers that entice students, and the problems happen
more often at home than in the firewall-protected
school network.
Results
• They deployed a cost-effective secure online portal
with enhanced security features that provides access
to a wide variety of school and student information.
• It enabled parents and students to locate information
that might otherwise require phone calls, paperwork,
or personal contact.
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Net-wise teens: safety, ethics, and innovation
keep parents informed
Acceptable use policies, filtering tools, and refining your network settings can help curb negative uses of
the Internet at school, but what about when students go home? Certainly parents are concerned about their
children having negative experiences on the Net, but because they aren’t monitoring everything kids are
doing online, or may be uncomfortable using technology themselves, risky or inappropriate behavior may
go undetected. Making sure parents are educated about online realities and issues can help close this gap.
One of the best ways to open parent's eyes about the Internet, no matter what age their children are, is to
take them Web surfing. Several schools run their own workshops with parents and show them sites popular
with kids.
Encourage parents to talk frequently with their children about what they are doing online, and use kids'
expertise to learn more about the Internet.
As do many educators, Caryn Gregg, technology coordinator at Prospect Sierra, sends the AUP home to
parents to make them aware of the safety and ethical concerns surrounding the Net. “It serves to remind
parents about the issues without preaching,” she says. Next year, however, her school will go further by
suggesting to parents that they “remove temptation” by taking Internet access out of the bedroom.
Parents might also be interested to know that putting the computer in a central location may have another
positive side effect—getting girls more involved in technology. Educators and parents have observed
anecdotally for some time that girls prefer computing in social settings, a fact supported by a recent report
on girls and computers by the American Association of University Women.
From Technology & Learning
By Amy Poftak
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Chapter 5: The digital district
Because today’s students live in an on-demand,
technology-dependent world, they learn differently and
approach schoolwork differently than students did
even a few years ago. This impacts learning, and
some school districts are addressing students’ need to
get answers instantly, to communicate as they learn,
and to create information and share it with others.
How are they addressing these needs? By
implementing technology programs.
chief technology officers in these districts said they
were likely to purchase a computing device for each
student by 2011.
From the America’s Digital Schools 2006 report
With access to computers and the Internet, students
are able to learn in an environment where information
is readily available, where they can own their learning
structures, and where they are so engaged that
learning becomes meaningful. Reports from districts
that have technology programs indicate higher
attendance rates, increased engagement, and
improved writing skills.
More and more districts are implementing 1:1
programs. According to a survey of 2,500 school
systems in the U.S. that have 4,000 students or more,
approximately 23% said they have 1:1 programs in at
least one grade. Another finding was that 48% of
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Changing a school environment takes time, patience,
and attention to detail. Schools that have been most
successful have been especially attentive to upfront
planning, inclusive of all stakeholders in decisionmaking, and employ powerful communications to all
stakeholders before and during a long-term process of
change. No one is an expert at this yet. Someday the
integration of ubiquitous personal, portable technology
will be the the norm. For ideas on how to create
change, see “8 steps to 21st Century learning.”
8 steps to 21st Century learning
Re-directing schools to adapt 21st Century learning means change is not easy. No matter how you look at it, change means rocking the
boat. Along with the technology tools and skills that 21st Century learning demands, come shifts in the way teachers think and teach in
the classroom. For many, this represents a huge departure from the chalkboards and lesson plans we have relied on for years. So if we
know it is imperative to face the rocky waters and seriously commit to creating 21st Century learning environments in our schools, how
can we make it easier?
• Communicate. Open and consistent communication is key when attempting to create large-scale change. The more your team feels
involved in the process, the more they will buy in and the more smoothly things will operate.
• Understand the change process. Don’t just go into the project without really knowing what to expect. The more educated you are
about the change process, the fewer surprises you will have as you actually put new procedures in place.
• Recognize barriers to change. Again, educating yourself can be your biggest ally in this process. If you know the common barriers
and responses to change, you will be more prepared to “coach” your team through the process. Arming yourself with information in
advance will make your job easier in the long run.
• Set goals. Setting clear goals that are timely and measurable will help you navigate your course with ease. Goals help us organize
our action and move forward to the results sought. Further, when everyone knows and agrees on the goals, the team can move
forward with more direct focus.
• Work as a team. The whole is greater than…well you know the rest. Working as a team can make the difference between sinking and
staying afloat. Effective teams communicate, trust, support, and inspire one another to the end goal. No matter where you are in this
process, it’s not too late to enhance your team-building efforts. Creating a cohesive team will be your greatest asset not only in
building technology into your school, but in everything that you do together as a school community.
• Create accountability. Accountability helps people stay on target and not put their goals on the back burner. By constructing vehicles
for accountability, you create clear expectations and a way that your team can support each other.
• Evaluate. Evaluation lets you know where you are compared to where you were and where you want to be. It also helps you know
what’s working and what could be improved. Evaluation is a sister to accountability because it also helps people stay on track and
know how they are doing in the process.
• Celebrate! As we all know, technology doesn’t stop evolving, so we never “graduate” to a fully technical environment. However, it is
essential that you regularly look at how far you have come and celebrate. Remember that is it not just the destination, but the journey
that makes you successful in evolving to a 21st Century learning environment. The more fun the journey, the less you end up rocking
the boat! Jump in and enjoy the process.
From TechLearning.com
By Lydotta Taylor and Jill Fratto
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The requirements and challenges facing districts are immense and the demands on leaders sometimes
overwhelming. See “District mandates” below.
District mandates
• Manage costs in an era of shrinking budgets, increased enrollment, and growing class sizes
• Transform the learning experience by providing new learning models/solutions, increase access
to information, help develop new learning/teaching platforms, meet student demands for new
learning tools
• Ensure compliance by responding and adapting to major changes in education policy and government
mandates with improved accountability and intelligent reporting tools
• Improve business processes by integrating and allowing secure access to a variety of student data, and
using better solutions to manage administrative and supply-chain demands
The challenges
• Decreasing budgets and increased enrollments pressure campuses to do more with less
• The changing regulatory environment calls for more stringent accountability, tracking and reporting
while security regulations require new spending in software and related services
• There is an increased demand on existing campus IT infrastructures as students and faculty become
more demanding
• The Internet and e-Business revolution have trained students as customers of superior products and
services, and now, students and staff want a highly personalized learning environment, offering the
same speed and advanced technologies they have been given outside the campus setting
• Schools need the ability to analyze and adjust the supply and demand of resources, people, and
processes—allowing them to take advantage of new opportunities and react to change
Leadership demands
• Respond to changing federal, state, and local government demands in real time with declining or
limited budgets
• Empower administrators, teachers, parents, and students with immediate, customized content and data
where and when needed
• Facilitate professional development
• Manage a ubiquitous but secure learning environment. Find better solutions to manage administrative
(HR, finance) and supply chain needs
• Provide appropriate information access to students, the community and parents, and faculty—through a
variety of access devices and with high levels of security
• Integrate information for more efficiency
• Lower IT costs and support needs
• Schools are also large employers and need efficiencies in HR, finance, purchasing, and other business
practices to best use their limited budgets
• They are also often subject to strict government rules and regulations that require reporting student
progress, and other vital data/reports to the government, and so have increasing requirements to track
and manage this data
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What does it take to change
current school structures to 21st
Century learning environments?
From back office to classroom
As districts develop their technology computing
programs, they have to plan for the technological
infrastructure needed to support the initiative. That
infrastructure is the laptops or Tablet PCs, the software,
the wired and wireless networks, the servers, and all
the things that are needed in the data center.
software, anti-virus software, firewalls, and filtering
software. Other considerations include lifecycle
management, data warehousing, and creating an
educational portal. The district will also need to
standardize the Productivity Applications (Office suite,
reference tools, etc.), and the set of instructional
applications.
How up to date is your district’s infrastructure? How
scalable? To find out, you should evaluate the existing
networking capacity and expandability, the existing
hardware capability, student and educator use of
technology, professional development capacity and
needs, and technical and instructional support services.
District networks have to be made secure. There are
multiple standards-based approaches to ensure
network access security can be applied and co-exist.
For example, security software can be embedded in
BIOS of laptops and desktops for hardware security
and asset tracking. The most secure method is to limit
access to just those who require it and lock out all
others. This type of security software in the BIOS can
help track and recover stolen or lost equipment,
which reduces the school’s total cost of ownership for
the program.
A major component in nearly all technology programs,
after the laptop or Tablet PC, is the wireless network.
The freedom and mobility of wireless networking is
what gives students the opportunity to take their
learning anywhere. HP provides districts with robust
wireless networking options and helps districts
implement scalable wireless networks.
Networks require additional software to run. Basic
applications are those needed for the operation,
maintenance, and manageability of the laptop as a
device. Types of software include client management
Just as technology changes, school district needs
change as well. HP can bring a total management
approach to implementing a school’s technology
program with implementation services like advanced
planning, configuration, integration, staging,
implementation, and project management throughout
the years of ownership.
For some districts, the answer lies in thin client
technology, a server-centric computing model in which
the application software, data, and CPU power
resides on a network server rather than on the client
computer. Thin clients are affordable—with smart, lowmaintenance solutions and easy access to centralized
information.
Districts have found advantages with thin clients such
as networked learning centers, computer labs, and
libraries can be equipped with more workstations at a
lower cost; workstations are secure, safe, durable, and
student-proof because desktop controls and icons can
be locked down. There is a quick initial installation
and software upgrades, and lower energy usage
means additional cost savings.
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Lifecycle management is concerned with issues such as
integrating new components into an existing installation,
timelines for refreshing hardware, software and other
peripherals, plans for asset recovery and retiring old,
outdated equipment, and automating processes for
upgrades, security patches, and other administrative
tasks. Having a trusted, committed, and reliable partner
like HP can make all the difference.
Before beginning a technology program, districts need
to plan strategically for IT infrastructure changes, and
this involves deciding on objectives for administrative
use, learning and student achievement, and technology
implementation. It means setting objectives and specific
goals for the technology program. See the sample goals
and objectives and the example of Michigan Freedom to
Learn program on page 48.
Efficiency and infrastructure
HP ProLiant DL360 G3 Servers—ultra dense two processor servers -- host Collier County Public School
District’s core administrative software. The district implemented Fiber Channel network links between
the schools and the district offices and removed distributed servers from the schools and relocated them
in a central data center using clustered servers. For more efficient support and comprehensive reporting
purposes, all of the core administrative functions have been combined. By centralizing and consolidating the
administrative functions across all of the schools, Collier County schools save many thousands of dollars.
According to Dr. Russell Clukey, Executive Director of Technology for the Collier County Public School
District, “We have been able to centralize our business operations, simplify core functions, such as
printing—by having networked devices readily available in each classroom—and initiate the transformation
to a one-to-one student to PC ratio with regular refresh cycles.”
Funding the Infrastructure
Getting the best return on investment in Collier County Schools means relying on HP. According to Clukey,
“HP has helped us tackle the budgetary constraints from a number of angles. First, it delivers affordable and
low maintenance products, which enables us to buy in greater volume, while keeping service costs to a
minimum. It also has supported our attainment of “self maintainer” status—we have a repair team that has
been trained and certified by HP—and we handle our own warranty repairs with HP paying us to perform
this service. Finally, the HP Financial Services agreement saves us a huge amount of money and effort
because as part of the contract, HP sets up new equipment.
“Collier County Public School District, and every student within it, has benefited enormously from the
standardization on HP solutions at all layers of our infrastructure, delivering an integrated, simple to
maintain environment in which all students have equal access to the latest technology.”
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Sample administrative objectives
• Improve administrative computing capacity
and efficiency.
• Use communication tools to reach out to the world
beyond the classroom and communicate ideas in
powerful ways.
• Maximize total cost of ownership and
technology value.
• Use technology effectively to access, evaluate,
process, and synthesize information from a variety
of sources.
• Align instructional and operational use
of technology.
• Take advantage of the latest technologies
and best practices.
• Use technology to identify and solve complex
problems in real-world contexts.
Sample goals for a technology program
Sample learning objectives
• Improve equity of access to technology.
• Integrate technology into curriculum.
• Improve the quality of learning.
• Improve student achievement.
• Institute and support best practice in
technology integration.
• Improve student communication skills.
• Provide access to research, learning materials,
and the tools to apply what they have learned.
• Improve student learning of content.
• Improve student collaboration skills.
• Employ differentiated instruction.
• Help students acquire critical-thinking skills.
• Increase performance on standardized tests.
• Institute formative assessments.
• Improve student ability to become lifelong learners.
Sample technology objectives
• Prepare students for the world of work.
• Use a variety of technology tools in effective
ways to increase productivity.
• Improve the home-school connection.
Objectives for Michigan’s Freedom
to Learn Program.
Goal 1: Enhance student learning and achievement in core academic subjects with an emphasis on
developing the knowledge and skills requisite to the establishment of a 21st Century workforce.
Goal 2: Provide greater access to equal educational opportunities through ubiquitous access to technology.
Goal 3: Foster effective use of the wireless technology through systematic professional development for
teachers, administrators, and staff.
Goal 4: Empower parents and caregivers with the tools to become more involved in their child’s education.
Goal 5: Support innovative structural changes in schools and sharing of best practices through the creation
of human networks among Program participants.
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Equipment needs
Networking: HP’s Adaptive Networks
HP’s networking solutions, for example, provide a vision for the future in which networks are adaptive to
users, applications, and an organization’s needs. Adaptive networks are standards-based, convergenceready, and able to easily integrate IP telephony, video, Web-based, collaborative, and future applications,
which makes it important for teacher, parental, and support of technology implementation and
communication. Features include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Open industry standards—no proprietary solutions
Optimal security for wired and wireless networks
Scalability and trouble-free growth at a reasonable cost
Low maintenance
Simplicity reduces the occurrence of errors
Utilize existing employee know-how
Servers
The world’s best run server infrastructures are built with HP ProLiant, HP BladeSystems, and Insight Control
Management—software that makes your IT staff time-smart by providing total control, maximum flexibility,
and tangible savings from your investment in HP infrastructure. These include:
• ProLiant Storage Server solutions that simplify storage management
• ProLiant server-based solutions for your Adaptive Enterprise
• Clustered solutions for high availability needs
Security
HP’s security, backup, and business protection solutions help you:
• Back up your data and be ready to recover in the event of a problem
• Keep your data, networks, and systems safe from viruses, spyware, intruders, and other threats
• Keep your back office systems up and running, even in the most difficult times
For example, Rob Campbell, Network Supervisor of
the Washoe County School District in Nevada, says,
“HP Servers’ dependability, coupled with the security
of the hardened Microsoft Server operating system
gives me great peace of mind, especially when
contrasted with the headaches created by our legacy
proxy cache servers. The biggest benefits from the HP
appliances are their high-availability and reliability,
security, affordability and flexibility—what more can
you ask for?”
administrators the information they need in
determining what has worked in the past and how to
do a better job in the future to benefit the students
and increase achievement. According to the
Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), 10 key
reasons to use data in making decisions are to:
• Assess the current and future needs of students.
• Decide what to change.
• Determine if goals are being met.
• Engage in continuous school improvement.
Data management
Accountability is an essential for improvement and
change. In order for anyone—from a superintendent
to classroom teacher—to be accountable, they need
to have access to and understand data. Then they
can make informed decisions about solutions.
Data-driven decision-making gives teachers and
• Identify root causes of problems.
• Align instruction to standards.
• Provide personalized instruction to students.
• Track professional development dollars.
• Meet accountability provisions of NCLB.
• Keep constituents informed about programs.
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The first component that districts need for data
management is an effective student information system.
This makes it easier and more cost-effective to manage
student records as well as give access to a wide
variety of information sources and applications through
a single browser window. Features that most districts
find essential are:
• Ability to manage student records easily and costeffectively
• Access to a wide variety of information sources and
applications
• Built-in application and information security
• Flexible, scalable, secure mobility and wireless
• E-mail and messaging capacities
• Reduced IT complexity
• Better return on IT investment
50
The goals of using data to drive change should result in
improvements such as enhanced learning experiences,
more effective teaching and learning, improved student
test scores, increased teacher productivity, use of
formative assessments for individualizing instruction,
improved communications with parents and the
community, and access to information like homework
assignments and student performance metrics.
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Data-driven decision making,
a step-by-step approach
STEP 1: Conduct an Information Inventory
Before considering solutions such as data warehouses or online analytical processing tools,
examine your current information management systems. Data-driven decision-making is only as
good as the data sources available. New systems cannot improve decision making if there are
significant problems in the way data is being managed or in the existing student, financial, and
human resources information systems.
STEP 2: Standardize data management
Once you’ve completed your information inventory, you’ll need to implement any necessary
changes and upgrades to your existing systems. Fix any problems identified in your current
information system before adopting a more complex storage or analysis solution.
STEP 3: Analyze the data
You don’t have to wait until you’ve collected all your data before you start analyzing it. Even if you
don’t have all of the information you’d like up front, you can still observe important trends that will
lead to more informed decisions once all the information is available. The practical side of data
analysis involves helping teachers and administrators learn how to interpret data and respond with
the best resources and strategies for implementation.
STEP 4: Make changes and define new strategies
If you’ve identified relationships or gaps in your data, then the final and most important step is to
take appropriate action. Whether the decision for change is big or small, the key is to make the
most informed decision possible given the data you have available. In addition, never stop
analyzing the data. Demographics change, personnel turns over, and school regulations update
each month and year. Learn to look continually at the answers to old questions, include new
information as it becomes available, and make new, more informed decisions. Once these
decisions are made, the process of identifying relationships, determining causation, and
implementing remedies begins again.
From Technology & Learning
By Todd McIntyre
Technical support
Investments in educational technology will only pay off
if an adequate portion of the budget is devoted to
professional development and technical support. Two
distinct needs have to be filled and most of the time, it
involves having two different staffs to address the
issues. It’s important to have a technician available to
assist teachers with hardware and software difficulties,
but it’s equally important for teachers to have access to
a support person who can provide assistance in
developing and implementing technology-integrated
lessons, including techniques for managing technology
with groups of students. In many districts, the needs are
so great that a solution is to outsource some of these
services. For example, HP Education Services help
districts implement a successful program that results in
faculty support and buy-in.
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Paying for technical support
Where do you start? Form a team to:
Districts have to find ways to fund technical support services. Here are
several approaches taken by districts across the nation:
• Write a mission statement.
• Define the purpose.
• Define the scope of work with goals and objectives.
• Develop a budget and timeline.
• Technical support surcharges. Whenever a site or office makes a
technology purchase, the district adds a surcharge to cover ongoing
costs for infrastructure and instructional technical support.
• Find a funding source that aligns to project.
• Annual technical support fees. Instead of a surcharge at purchase, sites
and offices are assessed a fee per computer each year. Fees are used to
pay salaries for infrastructure and instructional technical support staff.
Financing options from HP Financial Services make
the most advanced technology more affordable and
accessible, while at the same time offering you access
to a comprehensive refresh and upgrade program.
HP can provide your students, teachers, and
administrators with a foundation for success, without
breaking your budget.
• Site-based technical support. The district takes care of the network, but
schools are responsible for hiring and paying for their on-site, day-to-day
support. This often takes the form of stipends for existing employees.
• Interns provide technical assistance. Districts form partnerships with
community colleges and technical schools to provide student internship
opportunities. Interns, who work under the supervision of paid district
staff, can handle trouble-shooting, maintenance, and repairs, freeing
district staff to offer more instructional technical support.
• Student-provided technical support. Programs such as Generation YES
(http://genyes.com) and Mouse (http://www.mouse.org) train students
to provide services. Advocates see this as a win-win proposal. Students
gain marketable skills, and district staff can provide more instructional
technical support.
• Identify technology program stakeholders.
For example you can choose from three lease
alternatives that are designed to work with your
budget and give you the end-of-lease flexibility
you need:
• Tax-exempt installment sale—a cost-effective path to
long-term ownership
• Tech refresh lease—with built-in ability to upgrade
easily
• Fair market value/true lease—low payments with
flexible end-of-term options
From Techlearning.com
Stay ahead of the Curve
With technology constantly changing, districts don’t
want to be locked into owning out-of-date assets.
Funding strategies
Effective change doesn’t come cheap. Districts have
both limited resources and stringent requirements,
so strategies must be cost-effective. They have to be
more creative than in the past to keep their current
initiatives going and add new strategies for the future.
How can districts decide what to do? And how will
those whose mission it is to integrate technology
preserve needed funds?
According to the Consortium for School Networking,
schools and districts whose leaders have a vision for
technology use, plus strong support from the
community and parents, are more likely to sustain or
even expand technology initiatives—more so than
schools and districts that lack this visionary leadership
and support. Yes, funding remains an issue; however,
these leaders tackle the problem by finding ways to
raise additional funds or to re-purpose existing dollars.
Whether proposing a new bond issue for technology,
trying to win a grant, or just getting community
support, it is important to know what you want.
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EduFlex™
With EduFlex financing options from
HP Financial Services, you get:
•One-stop shopping with HP—one
complete source for all your technology
and financing needs.
•A world-class company that understands your
needs and can provide support over the life of
the solution.
•An affordable alternative to potentially costly
and time-consuming voter referendums.
•100% financing including non-HP equipment,
services, installation, and more, so you can
conserve operating capital and get more of
what you need.
•No strings, no hassles.
•Easy upgrades during and after the lease term
to help you avoid technology obsolescence.
•Safe and easy equipment disposal—no more
surplus property bids.
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Kershaw County
School District
HP Financial Services worked out a lease
agreement so Kershaw County School
District (KCSD) could get state-of-the-art
equipment—laptops, servers, networking,
etc.—every year. KCSD also selected a fouryear warranty option on all devices to
eliminate the need to budget for repairs.
Dr. Agnes Slayman, Assistant Superintendent
for Curriculum and Instruction, noted,
“By leasing the equipment, our budget
became predictable and manageable. And,
because the equipment is on a four-year
lease, we’re able to avoid the obsolescence
issues that plagued us in the past.”
While leasing provides the flexibility districts need to
keep up with fast-changing technology, HP goes one
step further with an innovative tech refresh lease
option, which allows you to upgrade quickly and
easily according to your own specific needs. Plus,
when you lease through HP Financial Services, there
is no need to worry about potentially costly disposal
issues. Simply return the leased equipment to HP at
the end of your lease term — hassle free. In addition,
if the leased equipment is destroyed, damaged, lost,
or stolen, a service team will take responsibility for
getting the equipment up and running quickly.
Total cost of ownership
Understanding the full range of costs associated with
technology assists school leaders in budgeting for the
future. In order to plan for technology and change,
districts should evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership,
factoring in direct costs such as support, training, and
management; indirect costs like downtime; and hidden
costs incurred when teachers, staff, and office
personnel must manage and support the equipment on
their own. Only by evaluating all of the components of
technology programs can a district determine the real
costs. The Consortium for School Networking offers a
free, online tool to determine Total Cost of Ownership
for technology. You can access the tool, along with
background information and case studies at
http://classroomtco.cosn.org/gartner_intro.html.
Standardizing
on equipment
To standardize and update the district’s
technology, the Hillsborough County School
District needed to evaluate equipment
purchases on the basis of the total cost of
ownership. At the same time, it was their vision
to gain a greater return from what they were
purchasing and committing to, not just on the
dollar volume, but value from a relationship
with one vendor and the value-add that it can
bring.
According to Jack Davis, the district’s Chief
Information and Technology Officer, “Under
our partnership with HP, the standardization
of devices throughout the School District has
meant our teachers can remain focused on
educating students, and our IT staff has been
able to train quickly and comprehensively,
making it highly successful at maintaining the
availability of the technology. In turn, the
simplified support environment saves us money,
and we are particularly enjoying the ability to
engage the local community in our technology
program at a more affordable level. To ensure
the success of the relationship, HP actively
participates in our planning and professional
development, helping us with new ideas and
fresh ways to look at things.”
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Top 10 returns on investment
With budgets slashed, NCLB-inspired demands for quick spikes in student achievement, and the public
clamoring for proof that technology is really working in education, all eyes are on the bottom line.
Technology & Learning polled its advisors, writers, and other ed tech experts for their take on investments
yielding the best returns for schools. Here are their answers:
• Timely and sustained teacher support. All the technology and curriculum resources in the world will
have no impact on student achievement without the guidance and tech support educators need to
make it useful on a daily basis.
• High-speed Internet access. The digital divide is no longer just about access, but about quality of
experience on the Internet.
• Risk assessment. Can your district afford a lawsuit?
• Microphones for teachers. Research shows that students in amplified classrooms are making significant
gains in achievement.
• Video-on-demand. Fingertip access to movies offers a powerful and immediate way to reach today’s
media-immersed generation.
• Wireless environments. A new wireless networking standard is making it easier—and safer—than ever
before for districts and schools to provide their users with anytime, anywhere access.
• Digital projectors. Paired with compelling content, digital projectors have the potential to transform
classroom environments into 21st Century learning hubs.
• Data management tools. In addition to helping districts deal with NCLB, data management systems
can provide schools with the ultimate return on investment: improved student achievement.
• Portable storage. Gone are the days when applications used to support teaching and learning can fit
on a 1.44MB floppy disk. Putting a flash memory drive in every student’s hand solves schools’ data
storage and mobility issues in a pint-sized package.
• Online subscriptions. Cost-effective, timely, space-efficient, and quick—online references and databases
have become a staple of the digital classroom.
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Getting efficiency and value
Eau Claire School District
The Eau Claire Area School District encompasses 13 elementary schools, three middle schools, and two
high schools serving some 10,800 students. The district works to integrate technology into daily life in the
schools to enhance learning, student achievement, communication, productivity, and creativity. Funding is
always a concern. Per capita income is below the state average. Yet when the schools need funds, the
community most often finds a way to step up.
That’s what happened several years ago, when the district presented a referendum for voter approval to
support a five-year IT spending program. Knowing the value of every dollar, the district used Western States
Contracting Alliance pricing and decided to standardize on a single vendor for classroom technology to
maximize value.
The district’s objective was to get maximum value for taxpayer dollars spent on classroom IT for public
education. Primary goal is to maximize student achievement and prepare students for the next levels of
education. Through standardization on HP products and streamlined purchasing using the WSCA
agreement, Eau Claire Area Schools gets the most for every dollar spent on IT in the classroom.
Washoe County School District
Annually educating in excess of 62,000 students,
Washoe County School District is Nevada’s second
largest district. Covering the Reno/Sparks
metropolitan area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire
and Wadsworth, its facilities include 63 elementary
schools, a special education school, 15 middle
schools, 12 comprehensive high schools plus a
magnet high school on the community college
campus and Regional Technical Institute.
With each school linked back to the district office
with a T1 line, the district relied on a legacy
solution for a patchwork of proxy/cache services.
When funds became available, the School district
would add or replace equipment, but it was
continually impacted by the shortcomings of this
expensive, poorly integrated, and operationally
challenging approach.
Challenges
• Provide firewall, VPN, and caching services to
over 100 sites.
• Remove dependencies of administration
applications on unreliable proxy cache servers.
• Improve throughput of Internet traffic.
• Simplify support operations relating to firewall,
VPN, and cache tasks.
Solution
• Implementation of 40 HP ProLiant DL320
Firewall/VPN/Cache Servers running hardened
Microsoft® Internet Security and Acceleration
Server 2004.
Results
Simplicity:
• Bundled solutions package facilitated
straightforward ‘plug and play’—style installation.
• Increased standardization on HP solutions has
allowed further leverage of support efficiencies,
existing processes, relationships, and expertise.
Agility:
• Management and configuration activities can
be performed remotely from a central location—
diminishing requirements for field-based
problem resolution.
• Third-party extensions for anti-virus, content
filtering, and other functions can be added to
complement the already rich feature-set present in
the server whenever required.
Value:
• Each appliance costs roughly 50 percent of a
replaced legacy server, effectively doubling the
number of schools that can be implemented for
the same investment.
• Resilient solution has cost-effectively increased
application availability, removed burden of
problem resolution associated with maintaining
legacy cache servers, and improved levels of
protection against Web-based threats.
• End-user observations of enhanced Internet traffic
throughput achieved without adding expensive
bandwidth or switching/routing equipment.
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In addition, districts have to balance their
administrative needs with the needs of students,
teachers, parents, and the community. Using
technology to keep open lines of communication is
important for providing information and gaining the
support of all stakeholders.
When they get the support of a technology partner
like HP, it all works seamlessly. Dr. Agnes Slayman,
Kershaw County School District’s Assistant
Superintendent for Curriculum and Instructions, says,
“Thanks to HP’s understanding of what it takes to be
successful in education, our 1:1 program has had a
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fabulous start. Technology is driving students to want
to learn more. Children who were previously
disinterested in school are now active participants in
the classroom. It has transformed the way our faculty
teaches—it is more creative, and assignments are
more rigorous and more relevant to what a student
will encounter in life. Kids have moved from being
passive receivers of information to being actively
engaged in projects. Students who leave Kershaw
County School District are going to be able to
compete with anyone worldwide to be successful in
post-secondary education and the workplace.“
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HP’s district solutions
Notebooks and tablets—HP professional grade notebooks and
Tablet PCs offer a balance of sophisticated technology and wireless
mobility. HP’s reliable, light-weight mobile products foster
collaboration and provide anywhere access to Web-based
resources and communication tools that help teachers help students
to develop 21st Century skills and help district administrators keep
track of everything that goes on.
Desktops—The HP Compaq Business Desktop
Family provides worry-free computing and
space-saving models that are ideal for an
educational or office environment. Models are
factory configured for usability, and offer the
reliability and performance administrators
require for data management and secure
document storage.
Handhelds—HP’s iPAQ Pocket PC puts the power of a desktop PC
in a sleek, stylish, and compact to-go box that gives students and
educators access to Microsoft Pocket applications like Internet
Explorer, Outlook, Word, and Excel. This handheld lets you create
big ideas but it fits comfortably in your hand, bag, or backpack.
Management by walking around is possible when you carry your
office files with you at all times.
Thin clients—HP’s Thin Clients provide low-maintenance and affordable desktop
solutions that are secure, safe, and durable because desktop controls and icons
can be locked down, with no way to introduce viruses and no breakable moving
parts. HP Thin clients provide quick initial installation, software upgrades, and
lower energy usage than PCs, which translates into additional cost savings.
Networked learning centers, computer labs, and libraries can be equipped with
more workstations at a lower cost and provide faculty with easy access to
centralized information.
School districts with thin-client implementations have found that students who have
access to a digital learning environment are more stimulated, more motivated, and
perform better academically. Thin Clients make learning and teaching enjoyable
and affordable with smart, low-maintenance solutions to get students up to speed
on their computer skills, help teachers deliver their curricula in exciting new ways,
and provide staff with easy access to centralized information.
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Other district solutions:
Monitors - HP TFT monitors are perfectly suited for a classroom, office, or meeting room
audience, because of features such as height adjustment and tilt and swivel options to
create the most comfortable viewing experience. HP’s variety of monitor options and
sizes is sure to have an offering for classroom, administrative, or back office needs.
Printers—Schools and districts can count on
HP LaserJet and HP DeskJet printers to be
reliable, easy to manage, and affordable for
black and white and color printing. These
printers contribute to a low cost of technology
ownership and provide great return on
investments.
Servers
Best known for reliability, HP ProLiant
servers are designed to offer value-added
functionality for maximum performance
and flexibility.
Wireless networking and wireless solutions
Switches, hubs, and wireless access points
let you connect student, teacher, and district
access devices to your network with no
cabling hassle. Networking products build
reliable networks that are always on and
always working, creating trusted environments
for learning, assessment, and district
management.
Storage
HP StorageWorks offers a comprehensive
portfolio of products to protect your data
reliably, simply, and easily. Because when it
comes to data protection, a school district
needs dependable backup.
Information subject to change without notice.
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Chapter 6: Conclusion
Creating the most effective learning environments,
providing new content and tools that matter for
students in the future, and addressing the needs of
students, teachers, parents, the community, and
administrators are challenges facing every school
district today.
them as well. Thomas Friedman says that schools
should teach greater collaboration and synthesizing
skills, create a community of learning, cultivate the
entrepreneurial spirit, and help everyone learn how to
learn. Creating learning communities paves the way
for adults as well as youngsters to acquire these skills.
Combine that with a rapidly shifting world in which
students’ experiences are radically different from those
of our own at their age, and we see that our work is
cut out for us.
In addition to the skills are the tools that have become
essentials. If a district is going to reach all learners,
prepare them to be part of a global workforce, and
be ready for the future, the students, teachers, parents,
and administrators need access to the tools. For
reasons of equity alone, schools have to plan and
prepare for creating a technology-rich environment.
If we accept that new skills are needed for students,
then adults in an educational system must acquire
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Planning is essential. How a district acquires
technology is less important than having the decisions
supported at all levels. Making it all happen takes
leadership. An effective leader is someone who
commands respect, takes ownership and responsibility,
has expertise and experience, and who can provide
guidance and direction and inspire others to change.
Someone who is going to lead a 21st Century
technology program would need additional skills
such as:
• Has a clear and strong belief system that is
clearly articulated
• Has a knowledge base on digital learning
environments and its relationship to curriculum
and instruction
• Keeps teachers and principals informed on the latest
technology program results, literature, and research
• Challenges the status quo and takes responsibility
for achieving results
60
• Has a positive attitude and inspires teachers and
principals to believe they can accomplish the goals
• Creates the environment for success: Establishes
lines of communication; a system for input that
includes teachers and principals in the decision
making process; a system of procedures to ensure
that problems are solved in an efficient manner
• Knows when to push folks forward and knows when
to pull back
• Isn’t afraid to make decisions and make them
happen
Educational communities need effective leaders at all
levels. In addition to the new skills people will need
for the future, the old skills of effective leadership are
essential to change. See “Eight leadership tips” for
leadership tips and “Four technology leadership tips”
for a few more technology-oriented things for leaders
to think about.
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Eight leadership tips
1. Communicate
Make sure the community has clearly defined goals and that those goals align with the overall vision,
goals and objectives of the grade, school, district, etc.
2. Inspire action
Help people set clear goals and understand the benefits that will result. Support them to reach those
goals, accept errors, and show how to learn from mistakes.
3. Release potential
Any organization contains an incredible amount of human talent. It is leadership’s challenge to unlock
this human potential and engage people’s brains rather than stifling their attempts at being creative in
how they go about their work.
4. Reward a good job
Help community members to feel good about their jobs and be supportive of their work.
5. Be observant
Watch carefully and listen between the lines to get a good sense of what is happening.
6. Support needs
Provide what the community needs when possible and provide explanations when it is not.
7. Trust
Create a team spirit to unleash creativity. Trust people and they will trust you.
8. Create understanding
In any change program, it is important that everyone involved knows and understands the reasons
behind the change.
From TechLearning.com
By Vasilios Fevgas
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Four technology leadership tips
1. Questions to ask yourself
In developing your vision for using new technologies, ask yourself: What would a school look like and
how would educators manage teaching and learning in a rapidly changing world? How can our
professional support activities leverage these qualities? What would a classroom look like that
leverages these qualities, creating first-time-ever learning experiences for our students?
2. Involve the community
Involve all stakeholders in the development of any education technology plan, not just the teachers and
administrators but also the students, parents, members of the school community, and business leaders—
because it is their plan.
3. Technology as culture
Make technology an integral part of the culture of the school. In order to operate in the school as a
teacher, support staff, administrator, or student, you must use technology. It must become part of the
identity of being a member of the school. The new tools will alter the culture of the school, and in
telling our stories we will infect the community with a new vision.
4. Leverage student skills
Take advantage of students’ knowledge, especially in terms of being able to use technology. There are
schools that give credit to kids for running the network or helping teachers learn how to use technology
tools. The collateral skills they pick up in terms of responsibility and teamwork are wonderful.
From Technology & Learning
By Jason Ohler and David Warlick
“America’s Digital Schools 2006,” a national survey of
the top 2,500 U.S. school districts predicts that more
than half of all student computing devices will be
mobile by the year 2011 and online learning will
grow at a compound annual rate of 26% over the
next five years. The districts also report rapid growth in
1:1 computing, whereby each student and teacher has
one Internet-connected wireless computing device for
use both in the classroom and at home. The good
news: 87% of schools offering 1:1 computing report
substantial academic improvement where results
were tracked.
Key findings
• Digital schools are transitioning from a desktop world
to a mobile world
• Ubiquitous computing is growing rapidly
• Ubiquitous computing practitioners report substantial
academic improvement
• A bandwidth crisis is looming
• Online learning is growing
• Professional development is key
• Low total cost of ownership is increasingly important
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There is no doubt that the future of education is going
to be interesting. Whether districts are prepared to
address the issues and needs is another. The key is
to set in motion ongoing planning and to find a trusted
technology partner with both reliable products and
extensive services. HP has a dedicated education
team to help customize solutions to help districts create
their digital learning environments. HP’s range of
products, services, and partners is the one stop for
education technology.
“HP is fully committed to education and to becoming a
trusted technology partner with reliable products,” says
Joel Coombs, HP’s Director of Education.
The HP Way
• Reliable technology and personalized programs to
address your unique needs
• Easy-to-use, on-time solutions that provide educators
with the tools needed to be successful
• Comprehensives services and dedicated
support to partner with you through implementation
and beyond
• Broad and deep product lines for all your needs,
from a company with a history of quality
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Resources
Pew Internet and American Life Project Reports on the Internet Evolution
http://www.pewinternet.org/topics.asp?c=3
Pew Internet and American Life Project Reports on Technology & Media Use
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/c/4/topics.asp
Pew Internet and American Life Project Reports on Education
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/c/10/topics.asp
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills Publications
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org
Networked for Learning: Enabling 21st Century Student Success
http://www.techlearning.com/specialadvertising/NetworkedForLearning.php
The Horizon Report
http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=CSD3737
Total Cost of Ownership Project
http://classroomtco.cosn.org/gartner_intro.html
Technology & Learning and TechLearning.com
http://www.techlearning.com
Hewlett-Packard
http://www.hp.com
Consortium for School Networking
http://www.cosn.org
One-to-One Institute
http://www.one-to-oneinstitute.org
Michigan Freedom to Learn
http://www.ftlwireless.org
Inside Back Cover
© 2007 NewBay Media LLC
Technology & Learning
All Rights Reserved.
Publication Number: 4AA1-1731ENA
© Copyright 2007 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to
change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty
statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an
additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
PUBLISHER: Jo-Ann McDevitt
EDITOR: Gwen Solomon
DESIGN TEAM: BaySide Media, LLC
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jo-Ann McDevitt,
jmcdevitt@nbmedia.com; (650) 238-0311